News

A new Leeds hub is set to improve health and social care across the region and attract and develop the best talent from the health and social care sector.

The Leeds Health and Social Care Hub will bring together the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and local organisations, creating a community of experts to improve healthcare and tackle health disparities. Members of the public, private, and third sector organisations, including NHS, local government, universities and other health organisations, will work to address challenges, including tackling health disparities and improving employment opportunities in the sector.

It will ensure the DHSC’s principal offices in Leeds are embedded in the region’s growing health industry. The Hub is planning to create new jobs and opportunities for health and social care professionals in and around the city, boosting the local economy and developing and retaining talent. This will support the work already implemented to make Leeds a national and international hub for the healthcare industry.

The aim is to position Leeds as the natural choice for professionals looking to pursue a career in health and social care spanning local government and public and private organisations, as well as for start-ups seeking to establish or expand their base in the city. This will help to retain and develop talent, all while providing a boost to the local economy. It will also promote the health and social care sector as a career of choice for local residents and graduates so that workforces reflect the communities they serve.

Yorkshire & Humber AHSN is thrilled to be part of this exciting new initiative. The aim of the Hub aligns with our own mission to transform lives through innovation and to connect innovators, NHS partners and academia to help identify, develop, and implement solutions that can help to tackle the most pressing challenges for the benefit of patients, health and care staff and the communities we serve.

Richard Stubbs, Chief Executive Officer at Yorkshire & Humber AHSN and Vice Chair of the AHSN Network, said: “The Hub is a significant opportunity to build upon the existing collaboration between health and social care across Leeds and West Yorkshire, aligning conversations around health, the economy, employment and innovation to improve health and life outcomes for the region’s citizens”.

Health Minister Maria Caulfield said: “The Leeds Health and Social Care Hub provides a welcome platform for us to forge closer and stronger working relationships with our partners in Leeds and the north of England.

“It will allow us to entice more talented health and care workers, as well as organisations, to the region, boosting both the local workforce and the economy.

“Together, we will work on a comprehensive vision to improve health and social care outcomes and come up with innovative solutions to tackle health disparities across the north of England.”

Sir Chris Wormald KCB, Permanent Secretary at DHSC, said: “I believe the Hub offers a unique opportunity to accelerate delivery of our shared ambitions, not to mention significant potential to be replicated across diverse sectors in different parts of the country.”

The Hub will act as a focal point for healthcare activity in the region, making Leeds the city of choice for organisations and businesses. It will complement the work of a new West Yorkshire Innovation Hub set up with the support of the Yorkshire & Humber AHSN that embeds staff within the West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership to ensure residents can benefit from new innovations. It recently launched 10 innovation schemes including breast cancer surgery, cancer screening uptake in minority communities, and a special programme to support older people with cancer.

The Leeds Health and Social Care Hub will focus on three main areas:

• People and Talent: Making the health sector in the region the employer of choice for many local people from all communities.
• Health and social care economy: Working together to develop Leeds as a location of choice for health and social care businesses, particularly innovative businesses and those in the digital health and medical technology sectors.
• Policy and collaboration: Bringing together the experience and insight of all partners to address health and care policy challenges with a focus on health disparities.

To find out more about the Leeds Health and Social Care Hub, the vision, ambition and approach, priority areas and how to get involved, please download the Publication.