Youth Forum visits ‘beautiful’ new hospital wards

Young people toured the new wards at Sheffield Children’s Hospital this week and were ‘overwhelmed’ by the space and appearance.

Seven young people from the Sheffield Children’s Youth Forum took part in the tour. Comments included:

• “It is absolutely beautiful”
• “The amount of space overwhelmed us compared to what there is at the moment”
• “It is a lot more comfortable for us to stay in”
• “It is so much brighter”

The young people spent more than an hour visiting the new hospital building. They started by looking around the Outpatients Department, which was opened in November 2016. They were given a behind the scenes tour of the various clinic rooms, the plaster room and other outpatient facilities. They were also shown where the new pharmacy and coffee shop will be located.

They were then taken up to the new wards and the play tower, which are still under construction. The first patients will be transferred into the new wards when they open later this year.

The new wing will have 46 en-suite bedrooms and six multi-occupancy bays. Years of detailed work has taken place to ensure the spaces work well for patients and their families and help provide the best possible care. The spaces are bright and attractive – only a few weeks ago the design of the bedrooms won a prestigious Design Week award.

Funding of the new wing has been generously supported by the community through The Children’s Hospital Charity. The charity is raising £10million for the wing, ensuring the world-class care provided by the hospital is matched by world-class facilities.