Role of the hub

Hub and spokes model

We believe that the hub and spokes model adopted by Sheffield Well-being Consortium provides a robust basis for creating efficiencies and economies of scale in terms of management and coordination by the hub coupled with the front line delivery of services through members.

Sheffield Well-being Consortium hub has a small staff team tasked with a range of duties: leadership, negotiation, tender writing, contract management, resource allocation, quality improvement and organisational capacity building.   Generally, the hub not only ensures smooth and efficient contract management, but proactively seeks out new funding and business development opportunities on behalf of the membership. 

As well as its financial / business development brief, the hub is tasked with building the capacity of member organisations.  This could span from arranging informal networking opportunities through to organising formal training for members.

The staff and work of the hub are managed by the Consortium Board which is composed primarily of representatives from Sheffield Well-being Consortium member organisations.

Sheffield Well-being Consortium is a separate legal body with the provider organisations taking up membership of this body.  The defining features of this model are as follows: 

• The member organisations comprise (by clear majority) Sheffield Well-being Consortium’s governing body / Board
• The joint venture creates a single point of contracting (commissioning bodies / funders contract with the new legal entity which is then responsible for setting up and managing sub-contracts with individual Sheffield Well-Being Consortium members)
• It operates with a hub and spokes structure (the hub is the central infrastructure or staff resource that acts as the executive engine of Sheffield Well-being Consortium, including negotiating and sub-letting contracts, while the spokes are the various individual member organisations / providers)