Children and families rate Sheffield Children’s among the best in the UK 

Children, young people and their families have praised Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust for the care they received, according to the latest national Children and Young People’s Patient Experience Survey. 

The results, published in May 2025, show Sheffield Children’s performing better than similar trusts in the UK in several key areas – including staff communication, ward environment, pain management and patient involvement in care. 

Listening, caring, and involving families 

The annual survey, coordinated by the Care Quality Commission, gathers feedback from children aged 8 to 15 and parents or carers of children aged 0 to 15 who were in hospital overnight. This year’s responses reflect a high level of satisfaction with the experience at Sheffield Children’s. 

Parents and carers rated the Trust extremely highly for the type of ward their child stayed on (9.9 out of 10), while young people said staff were good at listening to them (8.8), explaining things clearly (8.3), and making sure they were involved in decisions about their care as much as they wanted to be (9.3). 

Young people also felt their pain was well managed (9.0), their privacy respected (9.4), and said they were given enough information about what was happening during their stay (8.3). 

Putting quality at the heart of everything we do 

These results reflect the impact of our Quality Promise – Sheffield Children’s commitment to delivering care that is safe, kind and outstanding – personalised to the needs of every child, young person and family. 

Yvonne Millard, Chief Nurse at Sheffield Children’s, said: 

“We’re incredibly proud of the experience children and families have shared through this survey. These scores reflect the kindness, skill and dedication our teams bring to work every day. We’re committed to learning from all feedback so we can keep improving.” 

Food, facilities and areas for improvement 

Children and young people also gave positive scores for food, with high marks for the choices available (7.5) and overall satisfaction (7.2). Facilities for parents and carers – including access to food during their child’s stay – also scored well (7.3). 

Looking ahead 

We’re continuing to act on the feedback received. One area where we know we can improve is noise in waiting areas, which will be included as part of on-going work to improve the patient experience.  

These results reflect Sheffield Children’s on-going commitment to providing outstanding care, ensuring children and young people receive the best possible patient experience.