At the heart of Leeds' health and care ecosystem lies an ambitious initiative - the Leeds Health and Care Academy. Unlike conventional training and education models, the Academy’s work is not confined to the NHS and social care. It is a system-wide, collaborative venture that is feeding, growing, and sustaining local talent through a unique blend of innovation, equity, and community engagement.

As Leeds continues its journey toward becoming a healthier, fairer and more inclusive city, the Leeds Anchor Network (LAN) stands out as a driving force for change. Since 2018, this pioneering partnership of major local employers has been working together to harness their collective influence, through employment, procurement and place-based investment, to improve health and wellbeing across the city. With a shared commitment to "good work," the LAN is helping to create more inclusive pathways into employment, developing local talent, and supporting long-term careers for people across Leeds.

This month, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust held its biggest and most ambitious research and innovation conference to date. Fresh from the continent’s hottest health innovation event, HLTH Europe, Partnership Director Kate Lodge reflects on some core themes across both conferences – where world-leading work took centre stage and global experts came together with passion and purpose to solve some of the hardest health challenges.