The event was well attended with over 50 staff from across the Trust joining the Fuelling ideas: lunchtime launch for research and innovation strategy, offering the opportunity for colleagues both within research and from further afield in the Trust.
Held in the Research Innovation Centre (RIC), LTH staff came together to hear inspiring patient stories that bring the impact of discovery to life, learn about support and opportunities to get involved, and explore how clinical trials, digital solutions and emerging technologies are improving outcomes.
Dr Ai Lyn Tan, Medical Director – R&I, gave an inspiring address that covered the direction of the R&I Strategy, and the drive to move towards embedding research activities at the Trust.
Central to this theme is making research activities across the seven pillars of the strategy converge to support patient outcomes. Underlining this commitment to patient care the assembled colleagues were delighted to welcome Sue Lees, a mezzo-soprano opera singer living with Sjögren’s syndrome, who shared her story and experience taking part in research at the Trust to find new treatments for the condition.
Dr Chris Herbert, Director of Operations for Research & Innovation, also spoke, outlining the positive and expanding impact of research and innovation at LTHT. He highlighted the encouraging growth of clinical modernisations at the Trust and their wider implications for Leeds as a city region, including new job opportunities, business growth, and the potential to drive healthcare innovation and regional prosperity.
The gathering of staff from so many disciplines for the launch underlined the joined-up approach of the strategy and the aim for research-driven innovation to be a key driver for improvements in patient care, economic development, and societal advancement across all staff levels and clinical areas.
Our thanks to everyone who attended the event and made it such a resounding success in propelling forward our new plan to improve care by making research a central part of our work at Leeds.