Spotlight

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. 

World-leading researchers in Leeds, with expertise in systems design, engineering, applied health research and data science, are working with the city’s healthcare system to transform the quality of life for people who have multiple long-term health conditions.

An electrifying blend of cutting-edge health innovation, thought-provoking discussions and a thrilling showcase of future healthcare hit the European conference scene last year with HLTH Europe’s dynamic debut in Amsterdam. Building on that success, the four-day health conference – the continent’s largest - returns next week, with Leeds lighting up the stage across the agenda.

As most major cities across the UK showcase their various innovation campuses, hubs, centres of excellence and science parks, how do you scratch the surface and find the substance behind the sales pitch? What are the crucial differentiators and where does Leeds stand in all this? Our latest spotlight explores how transformational real estate developments signal a real opportunity in a city transforming health and care.

Set against a backdrop of strained health and care services with tightening budgets, shifting the focus to preventing ill and worsening health has become critical. Leeds’ outstanding track record in developing new and effective approaches to such prevention repeatedly attracts national and international acclaim, and it continues to raise the bar. Here, we explore how Leeds’ research is further refining and advancing care to manage and mitigate the risks associated with one of the most widespread health challenges – frailty.

In our latest spotlight features, we dig deeper into this autumn’s healthtech trade mission to the US to hear from some of the innovative businesses who joined the trip. Here, Professor Paul Gately, CEO of Morelife and visiting Professor of Exercise and Obesity at Leeds Beckett University, reveals how a novel approach to tackling obesity is catalysing real change at scale for individuals, health systems and society - in the UK and beyond.

In our latest spotlight features, we focus on market-leading health industry innovators from our city and region who joined the recent West Yorkshire healthtech trade mission to the US. We hear how they’ve achieved huge success, how they’re benefiting people around the world and about their insights into the US healthcare markets following the recent trip. In part one, we hear from a local company whose innovations are helping millions of people across the UK and beyond, to manage the side effects one of the most prevalent and hardest health challenges of our time: cancer.

The richness of data combined with innovative digital health technologies and strong partnership working are transforming health and care in Leeds.

Leeds health and care infrastructure is uniquely straight forward for such a large city. Here, partners share a strong vision and commitment to transform health and care. Our latest spotlight feature explores how organisations are coming together to review, rethink and redesign how health and care services work better together for local people, creating a blueprint for change.

The fourth in our research excellence spotlight series, this feature investigates how and why Leeds is building bridges to become a city of research without walls – including why a leading university is placing senior academic researchers in diverse settings.

The third article in our research excellence spotlight series highlights nationally important research, which sees unconventional partnerships between diverse groups across children, academia, healthcare, members of the public and politicians to address some of the hardest health challenges.

In the second of our research excellence spotlight features, we hear how Leeds is leading the way in strengthening its public engagement to ensure people from its most diverse and underserved communities are involved in research.

Millions of people suffering with multiple, long term health conditions are benefiting from breakthroughs in treatment thanks to world-leading research in Leeds. 

In this spotlight series we explore groundbreaking activities which set new, exemplary standards in making research everyone’s business for everyone’s benefit, especially for those most in need.

From the science lab to the boardroom, turning brainpower into profits, Leeds is one of the top academic hubs for spin-out company creation in the UK.

With one of the most diversely equipped labs in the world including technology exclusive to the North of England, the Northern Cell Metrology Hub, recently located in Leeds, brings a new level of expertise to the health and life sciences sector. Here, we explore why the Hub chose Leeds and why it is such a valuable asset to the region. With collaboration at its core, it is expected to become an important part of the city’s thriving and connected health innovation ecosystem.

Leeds is known for its strong culture of partnership and collaboration, sharing an ambition to become the best UK city in which to live and work.

Following our first feature on The Leeds Digital Festival (LDF) where we looked at why Leeds?, we now take a deep dive into the Festival programme and shine the spotlight on one of the sessions from the Health and Medtech stream – ‘Accelerating Digital Innovations across the NHS’.

As Leeds prepares to host its eighth annual digital festival from 18 to 29 September 2023, we explore, in part one of this feature – why Leeds? Why is The Leeds Digital Festival such a huge success here? What lies within our city’s amazing technology, digital and data ecosystem and how is it specifically pioneering ways to improve health and care through innovation?

In part two of our Spotlight on St Gemma’s Hospice, we hear about the extensive reach and impact of its education and training, and about how it uses research to understand specifically what people in Leeds need and tailor its services to meet them.

The multi-award-winning St Gemma’s Hospice is home to the world’s first academic unit of palliative care. Its care is outstanding and it is influencing innovations and standards in palliative care way beyond Leeds. In part one of our Spotlight on St Gemma’s, its Chief Medical Officer and Chief Nurse explain that behind this success lies an unswerving focus on the importance of evidence through research.

As city leaders work together to realise a vision to make Leeds the best UK city, it means real commitment to align their priorities for the greater good of the city and its people. Building the right foundations is key to success and the city’s digital capabilities are at the heart of this, explains Leonardo Tantari in part four of our Spotlight on Leeds City Council.

In part three of our Spotlight on Leeds City Council, we look at the city’s outstanding strengths as the ‘financial capital of the North’, and its major new developments to ensure it stays at the forefront of innovation and economic growth.

How does the UK’s third largest city make sure it leaves no one behind when it comes to jobs, opportunities, health and wellbeing? We explore this in part two of our Spotlight on Leeds City Council.

In our four-part Spotlight on Leeds City Council, we focus on its ambition to make Leeds, by 2030, the best UK city in which to live and work. We explore the city’s major steps forward to achieving inclusive economic growth and to accelerating cross-sector innovation and citywide digital transformation. In part one below, we take a closer look at what becoming ‘the best city’ actually means.

In part two of our spotlight on Leeds Community Healthcare Trust, we hear about two innovative ways of working: an approach from the frontline which is transforming care via digital innovations, and using measureable evidence about people’s healthcare to show how to make it the very best it can be for them.

In part three of our Spotlight on Leeds Trinity University, we highlight its bespoke and pioneering approach to apprenticeships. This is growing and strengthening, with new apprenticeships due to launch in 2023, especially for the healthcare sector.

In part two of our Spotlight on Leeds Trinity University, we see how world-leading research is helping communities around the world recover from drug or alcohol addictions. And we learn how pioneering research is helping reveal the link between tinnitus and mental health and showing how psychological interventions can help tinnitus sufferers.

n our latest case study, we shine the Spotlight on Leeds Trinity University, one of our founding partners. In part one, below, we look at how the University is working to ensure research improves lives and benefits communities in the here and now. And in our first example of this, we see how new research is helping people better manage their mental health.

In part three of our spotlight on Leeds Community Healthcare Trust, we hear how pioneering work launched quickly and effectively to help people recover from long COVID, and is informing others nationally and internationally.

In our latest case study, we shine the Spotlight on Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust, one of our founding partners. In part one, below, we hear about a novel approach to integrating community and primary care research.

In our latest case study, we shine the Spotlight on… Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, one of our founding partners. In the following showcase, we look at the exciting steps it is taking to help develop a world-renowned innovation district in Leeds.

In this final, extended feature, we hear about Leeds’ pioneering work in embracing uncomfortable truths to bring healing and change. We learn how new service investments are helping young people and how Leeds’ liaison psychiatry is leading the way in research and care to support the delicate balance of who we are.

Welcome to part two of our Spotlight on Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, one of our founding partners. In these next two features, we see how digital innovations are opening up new worlds for mental health recovery and wellbeing.

In our latest case study, we shine the Spotlight on Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, one of our founding partners. In part one, below, we look at how the City’s first recovery college is helping people recover and stay well, and how a new approach to specialised pharmacy is transforming care in the community.

Welcome to Spotlight – our case study series offering you a quick insight into some of the strengths and assets our partners and others bring to our work. In this first study, we shine the Spotlight on Leeds Beckett University – one of our founding partners.