Following an options appraisal for the Leeds ICB, a scalable and transferable 3 hub model was developed and evaluated with senior stakeholders, demonstrating that the ICB could comfortably operate from a footprint reduced by 50%, and create more flexible, technology enabled environments for teams to meet and work together. The outcome was an agreed temporary North Hub, co-location in the City Centre Hub with the Council, and co-location with Leeds Community Health Trust in a new South Hub.

Various exercises were undertaken to validate service requirements and translated into a space evaluation model to confirm scale and fit. The North & South Hubs were both approximately 3,000 sq ft and designed to provide similar settings and desk positions. The insights shared by each team were used to quantify areas, desk numbers and a variety of supplementary working spaces. The challenge of addressing fears around capacity was resolved by mapping all team preferences for office attendance and frequency of team anchor days across both Hubs.

The settings included were designed to accommodate 99% of all ICB requirements, with the exception of the need for whole business events and conferences where additional facilities would be required, these were to be provided by partners the ICB were co-located with or through additional facilities available on the site for the South Hub.

Various options were developed and the South Hub has now been implemented, and a decision was made to hold back on the North Hub by using a temporary space, whilst the team review occupancy and demand levels before delivering the 3rd Hub.