University health bosses have welcomed the news that a West Yorkshire NHS trust has been awarded coveted “teaching trust” status.
The University of Leeds sponsored Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust’s bid to achieve teaching status.
Now known as Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust, it manages Dewsbury, Wakefield and Pontefract hospitals in West Yorkshire.
Teaching status recognises the Trust’s track record in providing high-quality teaching and education.
We have been incredibly impressed by the enthusiasm and spirit in which the Trust has approached the partnership and we look forward to working together for many years to come
The new status and its partnership with the University will allow the Trust to increase its capacity for education and training, grow research capability, and deliver new advances in healthcare, innovative discoveries, techniques and medications.
Health leaders also believe it will help them recruit and retain first-rate staff across all professions, all of which will ultimately result in better services and outcomes for patients.
Dr Alan Mighell, Dean of the School of Dentistry and Non-Executive Director at Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust, said: “At the University of Leeds, strategic partnerships and collaboration are at the heart of all that we do. We were pleased to sponsor the Trust’s application for teaching status and are pleased about the positive outcome of the application. This development will also support our mission to provide our students with the best possible educational experience.
“We have been incredibly impressed by the enthusiasm and spirit in which the Trust has approached the partnership and we look forward to working together for many years to come, developing our joint education, research and innovation plans.”
Training clinical workforce
The trust announced in 2022 that it had submitted an application for teaching hospital status, with the University as sponsor. This is the first step in a longer-term plan of achieving university hospital status.
Len Richards, Chief Executive of Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust said: “Achieving the ambition is a credit to our staff and educators who are committed to improving the experience of all our patients by ensuring we have a clinical workforce that is skilled and equipped to work in new ways to support the needs of the population.
“The status also provides huge employment opportunities for those in the local communities who may choose to come and work for us. By offering everyone the opportunity to pursue a career that will build their skills it demonstrates our clear commitment to making sure every member of staff can achieve their full potential.
“Becoming a Teaching Trust is a stepping stone on our wider ambition to achieve university status; something I’m very confident we will achieve. It validates the service and experiences we provide and recognises the longstanding and successful relationship we have with learners and local education establishments such as the University of Leeds whose support continues to be instrumental. We now have a huge platform to contribute further to teaching across West Yorkshire.”
Further information
E-mail University of Leeds press officer Lauren Ballinger via l.ballinger@leeds.ac.uk with media enquiries.