YHealth4Growth

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.

The purpose of the Hub aligns with the work already undertaken by the YHealth for Growth partnership led by the Yorkshire & Humber Academic Health Science Network, Yorkshire Universities, and NHS Confederation. The partnership brings together local and national leaders to better recognise the linkages between health and the economy, with the aim of tackling inequalities and improving life outcomes across the region.

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”.

Michael Wood, Head of Health Economic Partnerships at NHS Confederation, said: “There is a recognised national health presence in Leeds and the Hub represents a hugely important, and symbolic, way of aligning UK policy aims with support for local partners as they attempt to narrow inequalities and transform the lives of communities.”

The 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.