Hello, my name is Fatima.
I am proud to live and work in West Yorkshire, a place and a partnership which is brave and courageous. It tackles head on the fact that society is unequal and that there are people among us who experience injustice every day, including me. It also recognises that health is impacted by your wealth, and if we truly wish to create a region where people live, longer happier and fulfilled lives, we need to be focused in our approach to create an inclusive and fairer society.
I grew up in a working-class part of Sheffield. I knew what it felt like to be poor, vulnerable and invisible. I had no prospects, but I was ambitious. I wanted a better life but was continuously told that I would never amount to anything because women of my heritage never did. This sounded like it was true as I had no visible role models, but those of who know me well will smile when I say never say no to someone like me! If the door is shut, I will find my way in - usually through the window!
My story demonstrates that no matter who you are, your gender, your heritage, your faith, your sexuality, you can achieve your potential. There are different facets that make us who we are, and our differences are an asset. I started my journey on the streets of Kirklees and I now have the privilege to walk the corridors of the Palace of Westminster, providing expert advice and constructive challenge on health equality.
Tackling inequity and injustice, including health inequalities and socio-economic disparities, are priority areas of focus for the West Yorkshire Mayor, the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA), the West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership and the NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (WY ICB) Chair and Chief Executive. It was this in mind that the vision of the West Yorkshire Inclusivity Champion was created.
I am delighted to have been appointed as West Yorkshire’s first ever Inclusivity Champion, as part of the Mayor’s pledge to achieve greater equality across the region. My role includes working closely with regional leaders in health, care, local government, business and the communities they serve, providing expert advice on inclusion and addressing regional disparities including social, economic and health.
We are fortunate to live in a Partnership where we recognise the value of collaboration and partnership working around inclusivity and health determinants. I feel extremely fortunate to play a small part within the leadership on this important agenda. As a proud West Yorkshire resident, my commitment will also be an aspiration for West Yorkshire to be a place where it isn’t just a nice place to live and work but it is the best!
Fatima
Hello, my name is Tim.
Hello all, my name is Kulvant Sandhu and I’m a few months new in post as the senior programme manager for unpaid carers and personalisation.
This year’s Carers Week theme is ‘recognising and supporting carers in the community’ and I’d like to invite colleagues across our health and care partnership to do just that. How do you identify a carer? Simply ask them “Are you looking after someone?”.
Work is continuing on a new pathfinder project established specifically to support care experienced young people across West Yorkshire with wholesome career development opportunities in the health and care sector. We’ve developed 
Teams of ‘ward walkers’ are spearheading efforts to get more patients discharged quickly from all North Yorkshire hospitals – and statistics show the tactics are working well. North Yorkshire Council staff, officially called transfer of care co-ordinators, work alongside NHS colleagues to identify patients who are fit for discharge but will need support as they convalesce in the community.
Keighley has received Government confirmation of the funding it needs to build a new health and wellbeing centre. The funding of £3.4million forms part of a Towns Fund grant from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. It means that building the centre can now get underway with the centre expected to open in the summer of 2026.
The fifth National Windrush Day, which takes place on 22 June, will coincide with the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the MV Empire Windrush. The day pays tribute to the contribution made by the Windrush Generation and their descendants to this country.
Over 100 people took part in health checks at a community event at the Halifax Opportunity Trust during this year’s Type 2 Diabetes Prevention Week 22 to 28 May 2023. Blood pressures were checked, weight, height and waist measured and the 
We’re backing Healthy Steps, an eight-week email programme to support families to make healthier choices, including simple tips, budget-friendly recipes, family challenges and more. Healthy Steps, which launched last week, is perfect for you if you have primary school-age children.
An anonymous staff member at the Partnership has bravely opened up to share their mental health journey in which they credit our