Health Minister Lord Hunt's praise for the new health and social care organisation that covers Bradford, Airedale and Craven is a confidence boost for both the newly-formed care trust and the people it serves.

The set-up of the flagship health trust is another example of the district's re-emerging pioneering spirit. The area already has an excellent record of health care and this new partnership will bring mental health, learning disabilities and social services issues together to give the patient the best possible level of care available.

Bradford's skill and excellence in health matters already help to put the city on the map and this latest move will consolidate its reputation even further as a pathfinder in health excellence.

Instead of being pushed from pillar to post between different agencies, people in the Bradford area will be able to put themselves in the hands of a single body which can assess their needs for everything from simple health problems to care in the community issues.

This integrated approach, as so many people made clear at yesterday's official launch of the new trust, is the way ahead for the future of all service provision in Bradford and, indeed, the rest of the country.

Most encouraging of all, the new trust has set off on the right foot with a clear determination to ensure that users of its services will be closely involved in the decision-making processes and how the trust is run.

There is every possibility that this new trust will be yet another initiative where all of us can be proud to say that Bradford has led the way.