BBC Saving Lives in Leeds

Over eight episodes, the series meets a group of world-leading doctors and surgeons from across Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust as they battle through their ever-increasing waiting lists to transform the lives of their patients and decide who to treat next. 

It lifts the lid on the challenging decisions clinicians have to make every day. The programme explores their patients’ emotional journeys and the real impact on their lives and families, against the backdrop of one of the longest waiting lists in NHS history. Featuring in-depth interviews and life-changing operations, each clinician’s caseload takes viewers to the heart of compelling patient stories, as they operate on brain tumours; perform cardiac surgery on babies; provide life-saving liver treatment and carry out a high-risk double hand transplant. 

Professor Phil Wood, our Chief Executive, said: “Saving Lives in Leeds really shines a light on the outstanding people working at Leeds Teaching Hospitals carrying out remarkable and world-leading surgery. It highlights some of the challenging decisions they make on a day-to-day basis as they work to ensure our patients get the best possible care. It’s been a really positive opportunity for us to explain the complexity behind some of the decisions we take when managing waiting lists and highlight that we always have our patients’ best interest at the heart of everything we do.”   

Once available, we'll be sharing links to episodes on iPlayer on this page.

If you've been inspired by our colleagues and patients featured on BBC2's Saving Lives in Leeds, find out more about how you can join the team here! 

Thank you 

Thank you to everyone - staff, patients, family members and more - who have taken part and contributed to the series. 

Thank you to production company Label1, who have produced a professional, life-affirming and often eye-opening documentary series.