Streamlining NHS construction quality procedures
Scottish Hospitals Inquiry · Scottish Hospitals Inquiry Interim Report · Issued 4 March 2025 · Addressed to: NHS Scotland Assure
Government responseScottish Government: Accepted (Sep 2025)
DeliveryScottish Government says in progress (Sep 2025)
Recommendation, verbatim from the inquiry
●Inquiry recommendation
A range of procedures now exists to help ensure health board projects meet appropriate standards. One is the NHS Scotland Design Assessment Process ("NDAP"). There is also a Sustainable Design and Construction Procedure ("SDAC"). In addition, there is the NHS Scotland Assure Key Stage Assurance Review (KSAR) procedure. These can be time-consuming and demanding to complete. There is a risk that they become unduly bureaucratic and focused on process rather than substance. It is important that they be streamlined, and potentially merged, to ensure they are thorough and robust whilst avoiding duplication and unnecessary delay and cost. They must be genuinely helpful to boards and cognisant of the commercial and other pressures likely to affect projects.
Consideration should also be given to how complimentary procedures - such as aspects of the HAI-SCRIBE process set out in SHFN 30 - can potentially be streamlined to avoid duplication with other processes.
Scottish Hospitals Inquiry, Scottish Hospitals Inquiry Interim Report · 4 Mar 2025 Source PDF →
Published evidence summary
AI-generated evidence summary
In September 2025, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care Neil Gray reported that NHS Scotland Assure was standardising its approach to health infrastructure projects and associated processes, with a consultation with health boards on the proposed changes currently in preparation (Neil Gray, Sep 2025). The record holds no update since the Scottish Government's response of September 2025 (Neil Gray response, Sep 2025).
AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 26 Sep 2026.
About this summary
Government response
●Scottish Government · Accepted · 17 Sep 2025
On 13 March 2025, I made a statement in parliament, addressing the Interim Report and its recommendations. I accepted all recommendations and committed to provide a future update on progress around the implementation of those recommendations.
Delivery
●Scottish Government says in progress · 17 Sep 2025
NHS Scotland Assure is also standardising the approach to health infrastructure projects and associated processes, and is now preparing a consultation with health boards on the proposed changes.
From: Scottish Hospitals Inquiry (SHI) - Update on actions taken by the Scottish Government to address the recommendations made by the SHI in its Interim Report on the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People, Department of Clinical Neuroscience (RHCYP DCN), Edinburgh, Neil Gray, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care
Earlier statements on delivery (0)
●Scottish Government · 13 Mar 2025
The Scottish Government is committed to working with the health boards and other NHS bodies to consider and address each of the 11 recommendations made in the interim report.
From: Scottish Hospitals Inquiry (Interim Report) (Meeting of the Parliament, 13 March 2025), Neil Gray, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care
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