How we can end the postcode health lottery the region is suffering from - Tracy Brabin
Right now, we face a tough reality where health is too often determined by postcode. In Yorkshire, life expectancy in our most disadvantaged neighbourhoods is nearly two years lower than the national average.
This isn't just a healthcare crisis - it is a moral and economic one. If we want a region that is productive, prosperous, and fair, we must acknowledge a fundamental truth: you cannot have a strong economy without a healthy workforce. The ‘sick economy’ cycle is one we are determined to break. When people lack the stability and wellbeing they need, they cannot gain the skills required to progress, and our entire economy suffers.
We have to move from just treating people when they are already sick, to helping them stay healthy in the first place.
That is why I launched the Mayor’s Big Ideas Challenge. We didn't want to just talk about health inequality; we wanted to fund the solutions to it.
If we only intervene when someone is already in a hospital ward, we have already lost the battle. Research shows that the vast majority of our health outcomes are driven by everyday factors outside of clinical settings - things like the quality of our housing, the air we breathe, and our access to stable, well-paid work.
The innovations we are supporting through this challenge meet people exactly where they are. Whether it is Leeds-based Asclepius Medtech developing wearable sensors that help patients recover from surgery at home, or the Featherstone Rovers Foundation in Wakefield creating new health apprenticeship pathways, these projects move support directly into the heart of our communities.
We are also seeing our local innovators take West Yorkshire’s brilliance to the world stage. Carly Walter, founder of MAGI in Wakefield, recently joined our trade mission to Switzerland to showcase her pioneering digital platform. By providing personalised tools for neurodivergent women to manage their wellbeing, MAGI is a perfect example of how preventative technology can empower people to take control of their own health.
Innovation is a regional strength for West Yorkshire, but for it to be truly successful, it must be inclusive. It must benefit the person in Kirklees struggling with speech therapy backlogs just as much as the entrepreneur in a Leeds lab. Currently, for every £62 spent per head on health innovation in the Southeast, only £21 is spent here in the North. This challenge is our way of rebalancing that scale and proving that West Yorkshire is the best place in the country to develop and scale health solutions. We are showing that local leadership is the best vehicle for this change. We have the local knowledge, the partnerships, and the direct link to our business community so we can contribute to making "prevention" a reality rather than just a policy buzzword.
We are working incredibly hard to support our world-class industries and help new businesses get off the ground through a network of support that goes far beyond funding. If you are an entrepreneur with a great idea, or an existing business looking to grow and make a difference in our region, we want to hear from you. To get in touch with our business support team, visit: https://www.westyorks-ca.gov.uk/business-support/tackling-health-inequalities-the-mayor-s-big-ideas-challenge-for-smes/
Tracy Brabin is the Mayor of West Yorkshire.