Two weeks ago, 150 patients, clinicians and leaders from across West Yorkshire and Harrogate came together to celebrate and share good practice in enhancing patient experience and outcomes through improving cancer waiting times performance, with a particular focus on our most challenging tumour sites, prostate and lung.

This blog comes from Martin Barkley, CEO for Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust and CEO Lead for the Partnership’s Innovation and Improvement Programme, looking at how innovation is transforming health and care across West Yorkshire and Harrogate.

I think we’re incredibly fortunate to operate in the environment that is created and fostered by the Partnership and by WYAAT. In my first 100 days or so it has felt as if that is an environment in which collaboration, respect, support and peer challenge are promoted and I think that’s an incredibly important enabler for us to do our work in our places.

The clinical role for WYAAT is new and involves providing clinical leadership for the hospital programmes and taking a strategic and innovative view of clinical services. It is also all about promoting engagement and collaboration with clinical teams; and forging links within West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care Partnership.

A round-up of some of the programmes and projects WYAAT have been working together on recently