Deputy Lord Mayor Councillor Valerie Slater will today (September 14) officially launch Bradford Teaching Hospitals annual open event which gives people a chance to find out more about their local services.

Councillor Slater, who will be accompanied by her Consort and husband Malcolm, will get the opportunity to chat to hospital staff, hear presentations and tour the Foundation Trust’s new simulation training centre at the Bradford Royal Infirmary site.

A marquee will feature stalls where those attending will have the chance to learn more about stroke services, infection control, emergency planning, viral hepatitis, diabetes, maternity services, the chaplaincy, bowel cancer screening, Being Open, The SAFE! Campaign (about patient safety) and Enhancing the Healing Environment (the Foundation Trust’s landmark initiative to improve dementia care).

Chairman, David Richardson, said: “I’m delighted that the Deputy Lord Mayor and her Consort are able to join us to see, at first hand, the great things which go on at Bradford Teaching Hospitals.

“Today will be a great opportunity for members of the public to come into the hospitals and have a look behind the scenes.

“There'll be plenty going on and everything is interactive so it's a great way of letting people find out more about their hospitals while they're relaxed and not worried - as many people are when they come to hospital."

The event sees more than 30 stalls in the marquee which will be situated at the back of the hospital, just through gate six off Smith Lane.

Guided tours will also take people behind-the-scenes and give them the opportunity to see the likes of the new state-of-the-art simulation centre and technical skills laboratory which opened in June and which will train the city’s doctors and nurses of the future.

People will also have the chance to experience a tour being led by medical physics staff and to find out how the latest cutting edge PET-CT scanner is helping hospital doctors pinpoint cancers more accurately.

The Foundation Trust’s Annual General Meeting will be held before at 1pm in the Sovereign Lecture Theatre. The open event will begin with the Deputy Lord Mayor’s official launch at 2pm in the BRI marquee.