Sheffield Children’s to transform Emergency Department in £20m investment to create healthier futures for children and young people

Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust is investing in the future of urgent and emergency care through a £20 million redevelopment of its Emergency Department (ED) – creating a modern, child-friendly environment designed around the needs of children, young people and families for generations to come.

As Sheffield Children’s approaches its 150th anniversary in November 2026, the redevelopment reflects the organisation’s continued commitment to creating healthier futures for children and young people, building on a century and a half of innovation, care and investment in the communities it serves.

The investment will transform one of the hospital’s busiest areas to make sure the environment children receive care in matches the outstanding treatment delivered by NHS colleagues every day.

Sheffield Children’s will invest £13.2 million into the redevelopment, with £6.8 million supported by Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity, including fundraising through its biggest-ever sculpture trail, Pride of Yorkshire.

The investment into the Emergency Department will create a calm, welcoming and purpose-built space that reduces fear and anxiety, improves privacy and dignity for families, supports better patient flow and enables teams to deliver the very best emergency care – including dedicated environments for children and young people with additional needs.

For Sheffield Children’s, the project represents an investment in the experience, wellbeing and outcomes of children and families across South Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Lincolnshire and beyond. The redevelopment will build on the exceptional care already delivered by Sheffield Children’s teams, ensuring the environment matches the quality, compassion and expertise families already experience.

Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust Chief Executive Ruth Brown said: “When the current Emergency Department at Sheffield Children’s opened its doors in 1977, it was designed to see 24,000 patients a year. Today, more than 62,000 children and young people come through its doors annually – that’s an average of 168 patients a day.

“While our fantastic clinical teams deliver exceptional treatment, the current environment no longer reflects the growing scale or complexity of demand. And so, we look to its next era.

“This ambitious and exciting redevelopment of one of our busiest areas will transform the way our patients and their families experience Sheffield Children’s. For today, for tomorrow and for the next 150 years.”

As a specialist children’s hospital and Major Trauma Centre, Sheffield Children’s provides urgent and emergency care to children and young people from across South Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Lincolnshire, caring for everything from broken bones and breathing difficulties to life-threatening injuries and serious illness.

Alongside the Trust’s investment, Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity will support the redevelopment through fundraising for major trauma and resuscitation areas at the heart of emergency care.

Its new sculpture trail, Pride of Yorkshire, launching this June, will bring 150 life-sized lion sculptures to communities across South Yorkshire and will play an important role in helping deliver this transformational project.

Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity Chief Executive John Armstrong said: “For five decades, we have stood proudly alongside the Sheffield Children’s Trust, helping it to go further, and do more for the children and families who rely on it every day.

“Pride of Yorkshire is our most ambitious sculpture trail yet, and is the biggest ever held in the UK. Its scale and potential mirrors our ambition to support every child to access excellent healthcare and a healthy future. We have been overwhelmed by the support from artists, schools, businesses and the general public – and can’t wait to see the trail hit the streets and make its mark this summer.”

As Sheffield Children’s approaches its 150th anniversary in 2026, the redevelopment marks a significant investment in the future of children’s healthcare, helping make sure generations of children and young people receive emergency care in an environment designed around their needs.