How Leeds will become science and health superpower – Dame Linda Pollard

THE Government is investing billions of pounds to cement the UK’s position as a science and technology superpower and our ground-breaking new hospitals development in Leeds will deliver stellar returns for decades to come in the North of England.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson (right) and Health Secretary Sajid Javid (left) speak with patient Arthur McCune during a visit to Leeds General Infirmary in West Yorkshire.Prime Minister Boris Johnson (right) and Health Secretary Sajid Javid (left) speak with patient Arthur McCune during a visit to Leeds General Infirmary in West Yorkshire.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson (right) and Health Secretary Sajid Javid (left) speak with patient Arthur McCune during a visit to Leeds General Infirmary in West Yorkshire.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has committed to increase public spending on research and development to £20bn by 2024-25, representing the highest-ever level of state funding for UK researchers to chase scientific and technological discoveries and crack the big problems facing humanity such as global pandemics and climate change.

In Leeds, we are backing this bold vision. We believe the Government’s investment in new hospitals at the Leeds General Infirmary will have a catalytic impact on our wider economy by kickstarting the creation of a new innovation district in the heart of our city.

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It will becomer a go-to place to bring together the best minds in the public and private sector to transform clinical and academic breakthroughs into business start-ups and scale-ups, generating new prosperity for people in this part of the world and putting Leeds on the map as a leading global centre for the future design and delivery of health and social care.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson (right) and Health Secretary Sajid Javid, visit the construction site of the new children's hospital at Leeds General Infirmary in West Yorkshire.Prime Minister Boris Johnson (right) and Health Secretary Sajid Javid, visit the construction site of the new children's hospital at Leeds General Infirmary in West Yorkshire.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson (right) and Health Secretary Sajid Javid, visit the construction site of the new children's hospital at Leeds General Infirmary in West Yorkshire.

The Chancellor wants a more innovative, high-skilled economy as the sustainable path to prosperity and we are laying the foundations in Leeds, as Prime Minister Boris Johnson saw when he visited our site in October.

The size of the prize is clear to see. For instance, the digital health market was worth $350bn in 2019, the year before the pandemic. By 2024, it will be worth nearly $600bn, according to management consultancy McKinsey.

The Leeds City Region is already home to some of the UK’s biggest names in this nascent sector, companies helping to improve health outcomes, tackle inequalities in care, boost productivity and reduce costs. Importantly, they are helping to move more care online during the Covid crisis.

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As this industry expands, so will Leeds, attracting new investment, technology and spin-offs and bringing a wealth of health, economic and social benefits. Accountancy firm PWC estimates the Leeds hospitals development will serve up 3,000 new jobs and a £5bn boost as part of the wider Innovation District. That’s building back better and levelling up, rolled into one.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Health Secretary Sajid Javid (left rear hidden) speak with staff as they view an MRI scanner during a visit to Leeds General Infirmary in West Yorkshire.Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Health Secretary Sajid Javid (left rear hidden) speak with staff as they view an MRI scanner during a visit to Leeds General Infirmary in West Yorkshire.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Health Secretary Sajid Javid (left rear hidden) speak with staff as they view an MRI scanner during a visit to Leeds General Infirmary in West Yorkshire.

It’s going to be a good year for Leeds as momentum builds for our development. The scheme will not only deliver two state-of-the-art hospitals for Leeds, West Yorkshire and the wider region – one for children, the other for adults, both by 2027 – but it will also free up five hectares of surplus estate, unlocking new space for innovation, commercialisation and education, all in close proximity to one of Europe’s largest medical university and industrial establishments.

It is among the most exciting investment opportunities of the decade and we are attracting serious interest from national and international institutions wanting to see how they can get involved.

Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid has expressed a strong personal commitment to the sustainability agenda and I am sure he will have been pleased to see our progress towards becoming one of the UK’s greenest hospital trusts when he visited us alongside the PM in October.

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We know the NHS is responsible for four to five per cent of England’s total carbon footprint and our new hospitals development puts sustainability at the forefront, minimising the carbon impact of the buildings with industry-leading digital monitoring and measurement systems, and smart use of materials.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson (right) and Health Secretary Sajid Javid, visit the construction site of the new children's hospital at Leeds General Infirmary in West Yorkshire.Prime Minister Boris Johnson (right) and Health Secretary Sajid Javid, visit the construction site of the new children's hospital at Leeds General Infirmary in West Yorkshire.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson (right) and Health Secretary Sajid Javid, visit the construction site of the new children's hospital at Leeds General Infirmary in West Yorkshire.

We are designing the hospitals for adaptability to reflect the changing nature of healthcare in the digital age. And above all, we are making sure patients will have the best possible experience during their stay by providing plenty of daylight within the new buildings and protecting and enhancing biodiversity and green spaces in the city centre. In all these fields, Leeds can lead the way in helping the NHS to reach net zero.

All of this groundwork hasn’t just happened overnight, but is in fact the result of many years of effort by our many partners in the public and private sector. The Innovation District represents the best of our city, combining its practical and intellectual strengths in healthcare, research and technology as the new health-tech powerhouse.

Leeds can help cement the UK’s position as a science and technology superpower and deliver stellar returns for the taxpayer, driving up productivity and creating new wealth and prosperity across the North of England.

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Dame Linda Pollard is Chair of the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

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