Sara Munro’s leadership blog for June 2026
Hello,
Since my last blog, we have seen a change in national leadership with Rt Hon James Murray MP taking up the role of Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.
He recently held a call with Trust and Integrated Care Board Chief Executives, where he recognised the progress made across the NHS over the last 12 months in improving performance and strengthening financial stability.
Looking ahead, his focus is on implementing the new Health Bill and working collaboratively across government, the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England and local organisations to deliver the ambitions set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. These are priorities that will shape much of our work in the years ahead.
He also encouraged NHS colleagues to take part in the consultation on the new cross-government mental health strategy. The consultation is open to frontline staff, clinicians and mental health experts, and I would encourage colleagues to get involved and help shape its development.
Merger with the community Trust
Teams have continued to make good progress on our Trust Integration Programme – the work to merge with Leeds Community Healthcare next year.
A significant milestone has passed in that NHS England has given their approval for our Trusts to develop and submit our full business case that sets out in more detail our plans for our Trusts to come together.
This means we can continue to work towards 1 April 2027 as the date we will form an integrated provider for all the health and care services currently provided by our two Trusts across Leeds and beyond.
A process is now underway to agree a name for the new, integrated Trust. Choosing the right name is an important step our journey, helping to provide clarity for patients, staff, partners and the public. Find out more and take part in our consultation here.
A key focus has been the technical work needed to bring our organisations together safely and effectively. Alongside this, we are also focusing on the people and culture elements that will shape our new organisation and the experience of working together in the future.
Both Trusts bring their own strengths and cultures. A central part of this work is to define the culture we want to build together, and how we combine the best of both organisations. This includes continuing engagement with colleagues so that staff voices help shape what comes next.
At a recent joint Board session, we took part in a workshop exploring culture and behaviours in the new organisation, including what we want to retain and what we want to change. A wider staff engagement programme is now underway, and I encourage colleagues to take part.
CQC well-led inspection update
The Care Quality Commission has now completed its well-led assessment of the Trust. As I mentioned previously, they are now drafting their report, but have shared some headline feedback with us.
The CQC highlighted a number of positive areas, including:
- A clear and ambitious strategy developed with staff, service users and partners
- Visible and compassionate leadership
- Strong partnership working to improve services and address health inequalities
- A culture of learning and improvement, with quality improvement activity led by frontline teams
- Progress on equality, diversity and inclusion, supported by staff networks
- A well-established Freedom to Speak Up culture with multiple routes for staff to raise concerns
The CQC has also identified areas for further improvement, including:
- More consistent and timely action on patient safety, quality and governance issues
- Improving the pace of delivery of agreed improvements
- Strengthening the use of data to support oversight and decision-making
We will continue to work closely with the CQC as they finalise their report. We will also maintain our focus on delivering safe, high-quality care and making improvements across services.
A thank you to colleagues across the Trust for their engagement during the inspection process. The level of contribution and openness from staff has been reflected in the initial feedback we have received.
We also await the draft reports from recent core service inspections of our working age adult inpatient services, older adult inpatient services, and rehabilitation and recovery services.
Response to Levy report
Dr David Levy’s review of the operation and delivery of adult gender services across the country has also provided welcome scrutiny for our Leeds Gender Identity Service at a time of rising national demand, workforce pressure, and evolving expectations for these services.
We have reviewed the Leeds-specific findings and developed a detailed action plan in response. The report recognises the service’s continued commitment to delivering safe, effective and person-centred care, while also identifying areas for improvement.
The review notes that clinical assessment, decision-making and multidisciplinary working are robust. It also highlights the need to strengthen how these processes are recorded, standardised and presented, and we are working with NHS England to address this.
Reducing violence and aggression
We are continuing to strengthen our approach to preventing, reducing and responding to violence, aggression and abuse towards staff.
Any form of violence or aggression towards staff is unacceptable. However, we know that mental health and learning disability services experience higher levels of reported incidents due to the complexity of need in some of our services.
We are implementing the NHS England Violence Prevention and Reduction Standard, which supports a more consistent approach to staff safety, learning and improvement.
Our action plan will support:
- Better understanding of where and how incidents occur
- Identification of patterns and risks
- Improved reporting and support following incidents
Colleagues will be invited to take part in listening sessions as this work develops, with the plan due for completion in July.
Leeds Provider Partnership update
Work continues across Leeds to develop the Leeds Provider Partnership (LPP), bringing together NHS providers, Leeds City Council, primary care and the voluntary and community sector to support more joined-up and community-based care.
The partnership will also support the development of neighbourhood health – how people experience care locally – by enabling more consistent approaches across the city.
During 2026/27, the partnership will operate in shadow form. This will allow partners to test ways of working, build relationships and refine decision-making ahead of formal establishment. This period will act as a “dry run” for the future model.
Reasons to be proud
Celebrating Vaisakhi at The Mount
Staff, service users, carers and members of the local community came together at The Mount to celebrate the Sikh festival of Vaisakhi in an event focused on faith, culture and belonging.
The event included Sikh prayers (kirtan), a talk on Sikh beliefs and the meaning of Vaisakhi, a traditional Giddah dance performance, and refreshments shared with attendees. The event also marked the launch of A Guide for Chaplaincy to Dharmic Faiths by Dr Satwant Kaur Rait.
“I was so proud of our Trust for recognising and celebrating Vaisakhi for our Sikh colleagues, service users, carers and the local community. Having a sense of belonging at work is so important – this really meant a lot.”
Maternal mental health week
During Maternal Mental Health Week, we were proud to highlight the importance of compassionate support for mothers and families across our services.
We shared lived experience stories, including Wan’s poem, and recognised the contribution of volunteers supporting asylum-seeking and refugee mothers within perinatal services.
Celebrating our lived experience advisors
We are delighted to welcome 24 newly appointed Lived Experience Advisors, supporting lived experience involvement across the Trust.
They bring experience of using services, caring, or facing barriers to access, and will support co-production, shared decision-making and improvements in service design.
And our latest Individual of the Month is…
Katie Whitworth has been recognised as Individual of the Month for her compassion, resilience and support to colleagues and service users during a challenging period.
She has continued to demonstrate empathy, respect and care while supporting colleagues through change and offering practical support.
Her nomination said she was: “Faced with challenges and pushed to her limits, yet continuing to embody empathy, respect and humanity.”
And our latest Team of the Month is…
The Apprenticeships and Employability Team, recognised for their outstanding support to learners and delivery of a standout celebration event.
“The team have worked incredibly hard to deliver an event that continues to surpass expectations, creating a meaningful, inclusive and impactful celebration while supporting learners throughout their entire apprenticeship journey.”
