Yorkshire and the Humber Strategic Health Authority (SHA) has a strategic role in health care provision. The purpose of the SHA is
To promote better health and health-care across Yorkshire and the Humber; and to ensure the efficient use of taxpayer’s money now and in the future.
The aims of the Strategic Health Authority are
- to help improve the health of the people of Yorkshire and the Humber
- to address health inequalities across the region
- to understand and react to the aspirations of both patient and taxpayer
- to drive reform toward a self-improving responsive health service
- to foster a culture of innovation and improvement
- to develop and support quality leadership teams who embrace change
- to make our health and health-care system a positive reason to choose to live in Yorkshire and the Humber
- to create a stable financial platform
For example by 2010 they expect to see fewer diabetic patients in the region under 65 who go blind or have and amputation; and fewer people dying after having a stroke.
The SHA will also be considering how best to reduce the proportion of people in the region who are obese or significantly over recommended weights.
They also have a budget of £465m for developing and training the healthcare workforce.
The NHS is changing to create a service which improves itself and is built around the individual needs of patients. The SHA will be promoting opportunities for patient choice in the region and will be looking to promote healthy competition between different providers and put new priorities in place that will challenge and stretch the service.
Visit the Yorkshire and Humber SHA website for more information about their work and current priorities.
For health statistics for the region (including Leeds) visit the Yorkshire and Humber Public Health Observatory website.