Community Benefit Gateway

As part of NHS Ayrshire & Arran Community Wealth Building programme we are working to promote the NHS Scotland Community Benefit Gateway (CBG). 

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 Benefit Gateway. 

What is the NHS Scotland Community Benefit Gateway? 

The Community Benefit Gateway is an online platform that connects NHSScotland (NHSS) suppliers with
third-sector organisations, representing the needs of local communities.

• The system is designed to enable NHSS suppliers to access a diverse range of initiatives that are listed in the portal so they can provide support.  
• All of the initiatives listed in the system have been identified as elements that will help to improve the health, social, environmental and economic aspects of local Scottish communities.

Through supporting the use of NHS Scotland Community Benefit Gateway, 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 itself is not a funding platform and should not be viewed as such. 

Who can list a community need on the Community Benefit Gateway?

At present, any registered Scottish third sector organisation or community group can register on the CBG and input a community benefit need. Discussion is ongoing with National Services Scotland as to how the CBG can support non-registered charitable organisations.

How can the Community Benefit Gateway help you?

The CBG is open to third sector organisations and community groups across Scotland that would like to request support for their projects.

• When providing information about the type of support your community organisation requires, please try and provide as much detail as possible. For example, if you need equipment for a community garden project – what kind of equipment? For example, trowels, gloves, scissors – and how many of each? 

The system has been designed to inform NHSScotland suppliers about the community needs of third sector organisations in Scotland. This results in a wide variety of community benefits that can be delivered. Examples might include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Improve community spaces
• Provide equipment, products, materials or donations 
• Sponsor community activities
• Give staff time for volunteering
• Provide expertise to support local community activities
• Engage in waste and recycling projects
• Deliver and support educational activities
• Offer work experience or job shadowing

Community Benefit Gateway in action

Since its launch, the Community Benefit Gateway has enabled many community benefits to be successfully delivered in different parts of Scotland. Some examples include:

• Mobility equipment
• Volunteers helping regenerate a local green area
• Interview and recruitment skills with unemployed people
• Materials to help run local charity groups

You can read about some of our successful local community benefits below:

Do I need to register before I use the Community Benefit Gateway?

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? 

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