As part of NHS Ayrshire & Arran Community Wealth Building programme we are working to promote the NHS Scotland Community Benefits Gateway.
We are asking all community groups, third sector organisations, associations and charities within Ayrshire who would like to request support to register a community need on the NHS Scotland Community Benefits gateway.
What is the NHS Scotland Community Benefits Gateway?
The NHS Scotland Community Benefits Gateway (CBG) is a free and easy to use online service that connects NHS Scotland suppliers with third sector community organisations within Scotland who are looking for assistance with community initiatives (needs).
Through supporting the use of NHS Scotland Community Benefits Gateway (CBG) NHS Ayrshire & Arran aims to help to reduce health inequalities and improve the economic, social and environmental wellbeing of the citizens of Ayrshire.
Please note: NHS Ayrshire & Arran cannot guarantee how long community needs may take to be selected and cannot promise your community need will be fulfilled by one of our suppliers. However we are doing all we can to work with our suppliers to promote the many ways they can give back to communities within Ayrshire and Arran as part of our procurement processes.
What is a community need?
A community initiative (or ‘need’ as it’s known) is something which improves the economic, social and environmental wellbeing of a local area. So a third sector organisation might ask, for example, for support such as provision of equipment, repairs or upgrades to a building, assistance to build community facilities, provision of volunteers for a project, funding a work placement opportunity and much more. The NHS Scotland Community Benefit Gateway (CBG) itself is not a funding platform and should not be viewed as such.
Who can list a community need on the CBG?
At present, any registered Scottish third sector organisation can register on the CBG and input a community benefit need. Your OSCAR charity registration number is currently required to register a community benefit need. Discussion is ongoing with National Services Scotland as to how the CBG can support non-registered charitable organisations.
Why should third sector community organisations use the CBG?
By using the CBG third sector community, organisations can showcase their need to thousands of NHS Scotland suppliers. Being matched to a supplier via the CBG can reap benefits for your local community.
Community Benefits Gateway in action
Read our CWB March 2024 newsletter on community benefits to find real examples and experiences of how the NHS Scotland Community Benefits Gateway is already helping organisations here in Ayrshire.
Do I need to register before I use the CBG?
Yes, you need to register your organisation before you can use the CBG. Visit https://nhsnss.service-now.com/community_benefit and complete the registration form. We recommend that you use a generic email address as part of the registration process to ensure any alerts are not reliant on any one individual.
How do I access the CBG?
To access the NHS Community Benefit Gateway click below.
Where can I get help and advice on using the NHS Scotland Community Benefit Gateway?
For third sector and supplier help and advice on the NHS Scotland Community Benefit Gateway please read the following relevant guidance:
STS703 003 Third Sector Guidance: Help and information for third sector organisations, looking to register and submit a need within their community. You can also view the third sector video.
STS703 004 Suppliers Guidance: Help and information for NHS Scotland suppliers and potential suppliers, looking to register and support a community need. You can also view our suppliers video below.
Where can I find out more?
Community Benefit Gateway is an NHS National Services Procurement platform, in partnership with NHS Scotland’s procurement community, Public Health Scotland, and local health board procurement and public health teams.
Contact National Services Scotland (NSS) to find out more about the NHSScotland Community Benefit Gateway. Email: nss.combenstriage@nhs.scot