The West Yorkshire Vascular Service (WYVaS) is a single, shared network that has been collaboratively developed to provide more localised and equitable high-quality care for vascular patients across West Yorkshire.
In 2011 the VASCUNET report highlighted the relationship of poor surgical outcomes to low numbers of patients having highly specialised surgeries. As a result, NHS England developed a service specification for vascular services to ensure regions delivered safe services. To meet this service specification, West Yorkshire needed to reduce the sites where vascular surgery was taking place from three to two hospitals. The change to vascular services followed an extensive public consultation by NHS England in 2019 and the feedback report from this consultation can be viewed online.
WYVaS brings together two arterial centres in Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust and Bradford Teaching Hospitals Trusts, where vascular inpatient surgeries and vascular emergencies are located. Outpatient appointments are undertaken at more local trusts; Airedale NHS Foundation Hospital Trust, Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust and Mid Yorkshire Teaching Trust.
By working together, the hospital trusts ensure that patients across West Yorkshire receive the same, high quality vascular care, no matter where they live.
“The West Yorkshire Vascular Service gives us the opportunity to all learn from each other to make sure that patients across the region are getting the best of the best.” - Sharon Senior, Vascular Nurse Specialist at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
WYVaS is an ambitious programme, being one of the largest vascular services in the country, covering approximately 2.4 million people. Work is ongoing to continuously monitor the changes that have already been made and to maintain further standardisation across the service. Our work to develop a single network is testament to our commitment to this innovative change, development of new ways of working and the strength of relationships.
