Healthcare

Leeds has the biggest community health programme in England with a comprehensive network of community health centres and clinics providing access to family doctors, dentists, local opticians and community pharmacists.

West Yorkshire Central Services Agency provides information on primary healthcare services in Leeds and is responsible for issuing medical cards to new residents.

Community health services, including family health care, district nurses, services for people with learning disabilities and mental health services, are delivered through Leeds Primary Care Trust, known as NHS Leeds.

Leeds has 450 GPs working in 120 practices. There are 280 NHS dentists, some of whom still accept new NHS patients.

Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust provides acute services for the population of Leeds, West Yorkshire and beyond, delivered through eight sites spread around the city. Two sites offer accident and emergency services and one offers a minor injuries service.

The Trust has an annual budget of £870 million, employs 14,000 staff and treats around a million patients a year. It is renowned for many areas of clinical expertise with particular focus around transplant surgery, oncology, cardiology, musculoskeletal disease, radiology and radiotherapy.

Major recent investments by the Trust include the £220 million oncology centre at St James’s Hospital, which serves a catchment area of more than 2.6 million.

£34 million has been invested across the city to centralise children’s hospital services at Leeds General Infirmary and adult acute medicine and older people’s services at St James’s Hospital.

A world class medical centre has been formed in Leeds following the merger of the city’s two hospital trusts, St James’s University Hospital NHS Trust – made famous by the Jimmy’s TV series – and the United Leeds Hospitals Trust.

There are several smaller independent hospitals in Leeds, including the £41 million Nuffield Hospital. These offer a range of healthcare services from basic nursing to complex surgery. Most are recognised by the large medical insurance companies such as BUPA and PPP.

The Nuffield Hospital Leeds, located in the city centre, is one of the most technically advanced private hospitals in Europe. The 88 bed hospital has six major operating theatres.

The Dental Institute, based in Leeds, provides the region with a high level of clinical treatment and is one of Britain’s most innovative centres for dental care and research.

Since the introduction of the national Local Improvement Finance Trust (LIFT) Initiative by the Department of Health, there have been significant healthcare developments in Leeds, including the opening of six new health centres to replace and consolidate old centres. A further five centres will be opened in new state of the art buildings.

[Last update 5/7/10]