Leeds health trust to look to nearby areas for training and job offers in new initiative for hospital development

Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, which is building a new adults’ hospital and new home for Leeds Children’s Hospital on the Leeds General Infirmary site, will work closely with its design and construction partners to support social value initiatives for those with the greatest barriers to training, skills and employment opportunities.

The initiative, which will be rolled out in 2022, includes apprenticeship programmes, school engagement events, and work experience opportunities.

These will be targeted at areas surrounding the new hospitals’ development as well as some of the city’s most deprived neighbourhoods.

The city of Leeds experiences the third highest level of inequality in the UK, with 24% of its population being in the 10% most deprived areas nationally, the Trust said.

There is a strong link between social inequalities and disparities in health outcomes, with Covid-19 exacerbating this because of its disproportionate impact on those who already face disadvantage and discrimination.

One way of helping to address this is through the use of social value - the wider economic, social, and environmental benefits that can be created by organisations and projects, for individuals, communities, and local businesses, the Trust said.

James Goodyear, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust’s Director of Strategy, who leads the social value initiative for the Trust, said it will help increase the wider economic and social impact of the hospitals’ development as well as addressing a diverse range of wider social, environmental, and economic factors.

“Due to its size and scale our new hospitals programme is not only a long-term vision for patients and staff but also for local communities,” he said. “As a member of the Leeds Anchors Network, it provides a major opportunity to work collaboratively with our suppliers and city-wide partners to deliver a place-based programme of inclusive growth to help improve health outcomes for its residents and patients.”

Among the design and construction partners who will be involved in the initiative are contractors WSP, Arcadis, Ove Arup & partners, Mott MacDonald, MJ Medical, and the Trust’s appointed architects the Perkins and Will team.

Karel Bos, Project Principal for Mott MacDonald and Client Technical Advisor (MEPH, Digital and Sustainability) said they were delighted to be working on the project to help deliver a hospital that puts patients and the needs of the local community at its heart.

“The ambitions and vision of the Trust chime strongly with our own central purpose, to make a positive difference in the local communities in which we work,” he said.

“With this purpose in mind, we will be ensuring our plans are shaped by local people and their priorities and reflect our wider commitment to Leeds and the Yorkshire region.”

“The project, and our partnership approach, presents a unique opportunity for us to combine our offer to create opportunities for local people.”

Arige Hallug, Project Manager for Arcadis, said they were excited to be part of this transformative project: “The project acts as an enabler for health innovation in Leeds and aims to reduce health inequities through new infrastructure and social value initiatives"

“We recognise this as a powerful opportunity to change the health landscape in Leeds, and Arcadis are proud to work alongside the Trust and their suppliers to make a meaningful impact in the community.”

The new Leeds hospitals’ scheme is among 40 new hospitals the Government has committed to build by 2030.

These outstanding new facilities will benefit not just patients in Leeds, but also those from across the Yorkshire and Humber region, and, in some cases, even further afield.

Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is continuing to work with and support the New Hospitals Programme (NHP) team at NHSE as part of the process to finalise its recently launched design concepts - with the new facilities planned to be fully operational in 2027.

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