Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust

For over 150 years Sheffield Children’s Hospital has been caring for children and young people. For each of those 150 years doctors, nurses, scientists and healthcare professionals have inspired improvements in the way we care for and treat children. We also know how many children have been inspired by the amazing care they have received and moved into careers in healthcare themselves – like Harrison who was inspired to apply for medical school after the treatment he received at Sheffield Children’s https://lnkd.in/eebwPK3S   Building on our 150 years of experience and our focus on innovation, Sheffield Children’s is currently building the National Centre for Child Health Technology (NCCHT) to bring together world leading experts from across healthcare, academia, industry and technology to put new healthcare technologies at the heart of service and care delivery for children and young people.   Read more about how we are inspiring a global health tech revolution - Marketing Sheffield - https://lnkd.in/e7VwefGP   Sheffield inspires, always has and always will – and at Sheffield Children’s we are always looking to inspire the next generation to carry on researching, innovating and improving healthcare for children.

Sheffield Children’s is incredibly proud to celebrate Trudy Donn, Senior Medical Technical Officer in Histopathology, for her well-deserved Special Recognition Award for exceptional services to Health Care Science at the prestigious Healthcare Science Awards 2025. This award recognises Trudy's extraordinary role in making sure that the environment and care provided at Sheffield Children’s, the mortuary, is caring, nurturing and provides the vital and safe place to support families and their loved ones with dignity and kindness. Trudy said: "I am truly bowled over by this award recognition. Having worked in the mortuary for 26 years, I have had the privilege of working with many incredible colleagues who have supported me. I could not do this job without the amazing histology and mortuary team. The award came as a complete surprise, and I felt humbled accepting it." 

Our wonderful Consultant Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Surgeon Rohit Verma was on BBC Breakfast this morning! ⭐️ Rohit joined BBC presenters Charlie and Nina on the sofa to chat about his experience with children needing ENT help, specifically surgery, to remove objects they have swallowed or stuck up their noses. It comes after analysis published in The Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England journal found far fewer children are now needing hospital procedures to remove objects from throats, noses and airways. Rohit reflected on the fact we are using cash less as a society and therefore have less coins around the house for children to play with. He added that potentially toys are more robust and fall apart less easily, as well as perhaps greater awareness from parents and carers about the potential of small items (foreign bodies!). Rohit gave an insight into some of the things he’s had to help dislodge from children’s airways and throats (and the shapes of them!) and why some things – such as button batteries – should be worried about and acted on quickly, as well as advice as to what parents and carers should do if they’re concerned. He also talked about the fact that increasingly Emergency Departments, equipped with knowledgeable nurses, doctors and surgeons can often remove items if they’re stuck, without the need for surgery and anaesthetic, which may also be why less surgeries are taking place. Rohit also mentioned our wonderful expert anaesthetists, fantastic paediatric surgeons and ENT teams at Sheffield Children’s who are readily on hand to deal with situations like these. Thank you, Rohit! Watch the interview on BBC iPlayer: https://lnkd.in/d7JJn6K3

Meet Lucy! 💫   Lucy has been completing a master’s degree in art therapy at Sheffield Hallam University alongside a part-time role at Sheffield Children’s as a Trainee Art Therapist. Whilst at Sheffield Children’s, she supports the Sheffield Eating Disorders Assessment and Treatment Team (SEDATT) to deliver outstanding care for children and young people across South Yorkshire and beyond.   Lucy said: “The theory that I learn about at Sheffield Hallam University really complements the learning on the job that I do at Sheffield Children’s. Both worlds combine to create a really complete picture and will hopefully put me in a good place when applying for roles on the future.”   Learn all about Lucy’s role, and how she is able to support patients and families whilst completing her MA in Art Psychotherapy, on the Sheffield Children’s website: https://lnkd.in/e2Jk7jS4

Sheffield Children’s is partnering with the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust to inspire and support young people on their fitness journey! Building on successful projects at Alder Hey and Great Ormond Street Hospitals, this initiative connects children and young people with world-class athletes. This initiative, supported by Sport England, aims to inspire and support young people in achieving their fitness goals and improving their overall wellbeing. Martin Talbot, CEO of Dame Kelly Holmes Trust, shared: “We understand the challenges faced by young people whose lives have been affected by life-changing and chronic medical conditions. It’s a privilege for us and our athlete mentors to support patients in Sheffield on their road to recovery.” This collaboration will pair children with professional athletes for one-to-one online mentoring sessions, providing personalised guidance to help them get into fitness or regain their confidence and skills. The programme ensures that children from all areas can participate, working on physical health and developing crucial life skills like perseverance, goal setting, and resilience. Catherine Dunbar, Healthy Lives Project Manager, shares: "We’re excited to support young people in building confidence and motivation for healthier futures." Sheffield Children’s is committed to promoting the physical and mental wellbeing of young people, and this initiative reflects that dedication. We hope to improve fitness, boost confidence, and encourage healthy lifestyles that will have a long-lasting impact. Learn more about our partnership and what we are looking forward to here: https://lnkd.in/ejC9m8uK

After a decade of outstanding service, Sheffield Children’s will be saying a fond farewell to Volunteer Services Manager Trudie Smallwood this month, as she heads towards retirement. Having begun her journey as a Volunteer Coordinator over ten years ago, Trudie has overseen the development of the volunteer service which currently delivers around 14,500 hours-worth of support for children, young people, families, and colleagues across Sheffield Children’s every year. Whilst her responsibilities may have grown over the years, her drive to make sure that patients, families and volunteers feel supported across the Trust remains unchanged. Trudie said: “It is all about improving patient experience. If someone comes in looking lost, we’re there to make them feel welcome and at ease. Quite often patients and families can feel anxious about visiting hospital, and we’re there to support them and even signpost them towards different services.” Read more about her journey and plans for the future: https://lnkd.in/eWi2U-MX

The South Yorkshire Children and Young People’s Health Research (SCYPHeR) initiative has marked a successful year of collaboration, bringing together medical professionals, researchers, and child health specialists from Sheffield Children’s, the The University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University. Launched in February 2024, SCYPHeR has grown significantly, with partners researching areas such as rare diseases, child welfare, health inequalities, and child health technologies. A year on from inception, colleagues gathered to share their experience and work over the past year, and provided space to hear stories around patient and family experience to understand the impact that research has. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eftbH2kd

Sheffield Children’s is partnering with the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust to inspire and support young people on their fitness journey! Building on successful projects at Alder Hey and Great Ormond Street Hospitals, this initiative connects children and young people with world-class athletes. This initiative, supported by Sport England, aims to inspire and support young people in achieving their fitness goals and improving their overall wellbeing. Martin Talbot, CEO of Dame Kelly Holmes Trust, shared: “We understand the challenges faced by young people whose lives have been affected by life-changing and chronic medical conditions. It’s a privilege for us and our athlete mentors to support patients in Sheffield on their road to recovery.” This collaboration will pair children with professional athletes for one-to-one online mentoring sessions, providing personalised guidance to help them get into fitness or regain their confidence and skills. The programme ensures that children from all areas can participate, working on physical health and developing crucial life skills like perseverance, goal setting, and resilience. Catherine Dunbar, Healthy Lives Project Manager, shares: "We’re excited to support young people in building confidence and motivation for healthier futures." Sheffield Children’s is committed to promoting the physical and mental wellbeing of young people, and this initiative reflects that dedication. We hope to improve fitness, boost confidence, and encourage healthy lifestyles that will have a long-lasting impact. Learn more about our partnership and what we are looking forward to here: https://lnkd.in/ejC9m8uK

This little star is Theo! ⭐️ He found his smile after receiving treatment at Sheffield Children’s at just two months old. Vicky, Theo’s mum, described the moment that she first saw Theo light up as he recovered from his tracheostomy, a procedure which involves making a hole in the front of the neck to support breathing. She said: “Just after he had his tracheostomy, we saw him smile for the first time, which was amazing. Just to have seen him grow since he had his procedure done has given me such warm feelings. We’re really proud of him and are just blown away by every new milestone that he hits.” Learn all about Theo’s journey at Sheffield Children’s by visiting our website: https://lnkd.in/eR6puFfa

We said a fond farewell to Professor Sufin Yap, Consultant Paediatrician in Metabolic Medicine this month!   Professor Yap is retiring after having worked at Sheffield Children’s since October 2012. During her tenure, she has provided outstanding metabolic clinical support for the newborn screening programme at Sheffield Children’s, offered teaching for colleagues across the organisation, and championed a progressive and flexible metabolic service at Sheffield Children’s which is one of six specialised metabolic centres across England.   To celebrate her retirement, patients, families, colleagues and more came together to celebrate Professor Yap’s astronomical impact on the lives of young people across South Yorkshire and beyond. Professor Yap said: “I felt extremely humbled by the turnout of families, whom I know went to great lengths to attend the day, and colleagues from all over the world who came along. It was a very meaningful conclusion for my clinical career, and I’d like to offer a heartfelt thank you for the sincerity and openness showed towards me by all my international colleagues in allowing me an opportunity to learn from their patients.”   Read more about her journey and plans for the future: https://lnkd.in/eeBJvcHS