Posted on: 10 July 2026
Today’s leadership message is from Rachel Spencer-Henshall, Director of Public Health at Kirklees Council.
Over recent months, Kirklees Public Health Team have delivered a new innovative mobile screening model in Kirklees.
For the first time in our area, cervical screening has been taken out into communities through a mobile, drop-in unit. Eight locations across north and south Kirklees hosted the pilot during March and April.
We know that cervical screening is one of the most effective ways to prevent cancer. It saves lives by detecting changes early, often before symptoms develop. Yet we know that not everyone attends when invited, and uptake is lower in some communities.
The reasons for this are rarely about awareness alone. They are about everyday life, work, caring responsibilities, transport, confidence, language, cultural factors and the challenge of fitting appointments into already very busy lives.
Delivered by Kirklees Council’s Public Health Team, in partnership with Locala, and funded by the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Cancer Alliance, the mobile unit aimed to remove some of those practical barriers by bringing screening closer to people. The feedback suggests it made a difference.
Some people attended because they saw a social media post that morning. Others came after receiving a text from their GP. Many told us they had been meaning to book for months or even years but had not found the time or had struggled to secure an appointment. Several were overdue. What the mobile model provided was convenience, reassurance and the ability to act immediately.
This initiative brought together prevention, early diagnosis and a focus on reducing inequalities. It also showed the value of partnership working, with Locala, community networks and communications all playing a role in delivering a service that felt accessible and trusted directly into communities.
It also reinforced an important point: people want to do the right thing for their health. Our role was to make it easier and more convenient, so that attendance is easier.
We are now reviewing attendance data and evaluating the longer-term impact. Whatever the final figures show, the pilot has already given us valuable insight into how we design services around people’s lives, rather than expecting people to fit around services.
Prevention and early detection are essential if we are to tackle inequalities and improve healthy life expectancy. That means continuing to test approaches that actively reduce barriers and make access easier.
Thank you to colleagues across Public Health, Locala, primary care, the Cancer Alliance and our community partners who made this possible. This is a strong example of what can be achieved when we work together with a shared purpose.
There is more to do, but this is a positive step towards a system that is proactive, accessible and rooted in the communities we serve.
Rachel
What's been happening?
NHS Project SEARCH graduates celebrate success
Interns, families and partners from across Wakefield and Kirklees came together last week to celebrate the achievements of young people graduating from the Project SEARCH programme, including Lilly Price (pictured).
This year's cohort of 18 Project SEARCH interns, enrolled through Wakefield College and Kirklees College, undertook one-year placements across a variety of departments at Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust, including ultrasound, IT, catering and pathology.
The programme provides young people who have learning disabilities with valuable workplace experience, helping them develop skills, confidence and independence while preparing them for future employment. Find out more on the trust website.
Leeds training theatre promises greener, cutting-edge healthcare advances
Construction is under way on a £1.25m operating theatre training space in Leeds which is set to transform sustainable healthcare innovation and research.
SUSTAIN (Sustainability and Simulation Theatre for Academia and Industry) will be the only facility of its kind in the UK. It will deliver a brand new, as real, simulated surgical space focused on sustainability and the development of sustainability pathways.
The space aims to accelerate progress towards a greener NHS and improve patient care and clinical decision-making. This could lead to significant cost and carbon savings, creating a more efficient, resilient and economical health service, aligned with the NHS 10-year plan. Find out more on the trust website.
New research programme explores how to better protect babies from RSV
Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust is supporting research aimed at improving protection for babies against a common winter virus, RSV bronchiolitis.
This work is part of a wider partnership with NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Yorkshire and Humber and the University of Oxford. The aim is to understand how well the new RSV vaccination programme is working and how to protect as many babies as possible, especially those at higher risk, such as babies born prematurely.
The research is part of the Born and Bred in Wakefield research cohort, which tracks the health, wellbeing, and experiences of families in the Wakefield district over time. It is being embedded within maternity and neonatal care pathways, helping to ensure that findings benefit families locally in Wakefield and North Kirklees whilst contributing to national learning. Find out more on the trust website.
Personal Assistant Register makes finding support easier
Bradford Council has launched its redeveloped Personal Assistant Register, making it easier for people who receive support through personal budgets or direct payments to find the right care. The updated online register is more interactive and designed to give users greater choice and control over how their care is delivered.
Personal assistants play a vital role in helping people live independently and confidently. They are employed directly by the individual who needs support, rather than being arranged through traditional commissioned care services. A personal assistant’s work varies depending on the needs of the person they support, but it often includes personal care such as washing and dressing, as well as help with daily living tasks like cooking, cleaning, shopping and managing the home. Find out more on the council website.
Specialist obesity and bariatric team win national award after transforming service
A pioneering new NHS service in Yorkshire that is redesigning how people access obesity services and bariatric care has won a national innovation award after tackling long‑standing inequalities and delays in treatment.
The Specialist Obesity and Bariatric Service (SOBS) at Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust received the ‘Improved Treatment, Therapies and Rehabilitation’ award at the Medipex Innovation Awards 2026.
The service was developed after clinicians identified that the traditional tiered pathway for bariatric care, where patients moved sequentially through multiple stages before surgery, had become fragmented, slow, inequitable and difficult for patients. Find out more on the trust website.
Six videos showcase the impact of Healthy Working Life activities across Kirklees
A six-video series demonstrates the wide range of support available through Healthy Working Life and the positive impact it is having on people, communities and workplaces across Kirklees.
Video 1: Supporting young people into sustainable work - the first video highlights two C+K Careers’ projects which support young people aged 16 to 25 facing health or mental health challenges.
Video 2: Fitness for Work - Kirklees Active Leisure’s Fitness for Work programme is helping people improve their physical and mental wellbeing through a structured 12-week exercise and social activity programme.
Video 3: Wellness to Work - Locala’s Wellness to Work programme offers personalised support for people who have a health issue that affects their ability to start, stay in or return to work.
Video 4: The LAB Project - the fourth video explores the LAB Project from Proper Job Theatre Company which uses creativity to support people experiencing mental ill health.
Video 5: Wellness Works - Ravensthorpe Community Centre / Third Sector Leaders - the Wellness Works initiative, led by TSL Kirklees and delivered through local community partners, helps people whose health is affecting their ability to work.
Video 6: Get Set Goal health checks - the final video focuses on Get Set Goal, a wellbeing service delivered by healthcare students from the University of Huddersfield.
See the Partnership’s website for more information.
The activities in these videos are part of Healthy Working Life, a joint programme from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board.