Burn unit celebrates 60 years of life-changing care at West Yorkshire hospital Pinderfields

A specialist burn unit is celebrating 60 years of delivering life-changing care to patients in West Yorkshire and beyond.

The Yorkshire Burn Service, which is based out of Pinderfields Hospital, is run by the Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS trust. It was established back in 1966 and marked the very first NHS-funded purpose built facility for the treatment of major burns., our sister title Wakefield Express reports.

Six decades later, the unit continues to provide specialist care for children and adults with burns and complex skin loss injuries. The service treats patients from all over Yorkshire, the Humber and North Lincolnshire, serving a population of around five million people.

Over the past six decades, generations of doctors, nurses, therapists and support staff have cared for thousands of patients, supporting them through treatment, rehabilitation and recovery.

The service has developed significantly since its beginnings, while remaining firmly rooted at Pinderfields Hospital. The original purpose-built centre served patients for around four and a half decades before the service moved into the new Pinderfields Hospital in 2011.

Brent Kilmurray, Chief Executive of Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust, said: “Celebrating 60 years of the Yorkshire Burn Service is a tremendous milestone and an opportunity to recognise the generations of colleagues who have made this such an important specialist service for our region.

“For six decades, teams at Pinderfields have supported patients and families through some of the most difficult moments of their lives, combining specialist expertise with compassion and dedication.

“I am incredibly proud of everyone, past and present, who has contributed to this remarkable service.

"While treatments and technology have changed enormously since 1966, that commitment to providing the very best care has remained constant.

"I would like to congratulate the whole team on 60 years of outstanding service.”

The anniversary follows a number of recent milestones highlighting the service’s expertise and contribution to burn care.

In 2024, the Trust celebrated Consultant Plastic Surgeon Alan Phipps completing 30 years at Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust and 40 years in the NHS.

Having started at Pinderfields Hospital in 1994, he reflected on significant growth in the service, which was by then assessing around 1,600 new burn patients and admitting nearly 400 patients referred from Emergency Departments across Yorkshire each year.

Specialist support also extends beyond Pinderfields Hospital. The Yorkshire Burn Service’s outreach service brings burns nurse specialists and physiotherapy expertise closer to patients who have difficulty travelling to hospital, enabling aspects of their care to be delivered at home, in another hospital or in other care settings where appropriate.

The 60th anniversary was marked by the Trust during World Burns Week.

On November 3, the team hosted a public event in the atrium at Pinderfields under the theme ‘Learn, Prevent and Protect’, offering information about burn prevention, first aid and the different roles involved in multidisciplinary burn care.

A private celebration for past and present staff was also held on November 5 under the theme ‘Then, Now and Next’, bringing together colleagues to reflect on the service’s history and look towards its future.

The anniversary provides an opportunity not only to celebrate 60 years of achievement, but to recognise the generations of NHS staff who have built the Yorkshire Burn Service into the specialist regional service it is today.