St James’s Hospital reaches out to help people in deprived wards access job opportunities

St James’s Hospital joined forces with Leeds City Council, universities, colleges and other NHS organisations to form an Anchor Institution Network.

The network will support the health and wellbeing of people locally by addressing the causes of poverty and ill health.

Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust has worked with the City Council to promote health and care careers, provide access to employability skills, and run English as a second language courses.

Already over half of the 50 people from the areas closest to St James’s Hospital (such as Lincoln Green, Burmantofts and Harehills) who applied for jobs through the scheme, have been offered roles.

St James’s has been working with the charity, Learning Partnerships, which has been promoting these job opportunities through events, selection processes and training courses.

Michelle Stanley, Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust staff support development manager, said the trust’s involvement in the project was ultimately about doing the right thing.

She said: “This project has allowed us to extend and implement the Leeds Way values beyond the hospital walls to support people within our local communities into employment.”

Councillor Jonathan Pryor, Leeds City Council executive board member for learning, skills and employment, said: “It is fantastic to see so many local people benefiting from this latest scheme and shows the great results we can achieve when we work together.”