South Yorkshire leaders come together to reimagine child health

Leading researchers, clinicians and partners from across Yorkshire and Humber came together in Sheffield last Wednesday to explore how effective collaboration in research and innovation can create healthier futures for children and young people

Held at Sheffield Children’s new building The Spark, the home of Sheffield Children’s National Centre for Child Health Technology, and organised by Health Innovation Yorkshire, the South Yorkshire Research and Innovation Expo was an opportunity to celebrate the unique child health ecosystem in South Yorkshire and develop partnerships that help transform healthcare for children, now and in the future.

Opening the event, Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust Chief Executive Ruth Brown highlighted the importance of collaboration in tackling the increasingly complex health challenges facing children and young people and keeping them at the heart of the conversation.

She said: “We know that poor health in childhood creates consequences that last a lifetime. The figures across our region and nationally make the scale of this challenge clear, with almost one in four children in South Yorkshire living in low-income families, where poverty directly harms long-term health.

“We can’t improve this by relying on old models of hospital care; we must be bold in bringing fresh research, creative ideas, and practical innovation to reimagine how we deliver care closer to home.

“While the scale of the challenge can seem daunting, we know we have the right ingredients in place across South Yorkshire to tackle it, with Sheffield Children’s and our partnerships at the heart.”

Throughout the day, speakers highlighted the need for new approaches to prevention, early intervention and delivering care closer to home. The programme included presentations, panel discussions, exhibition spaces and guided tours of The Spark, giving attendees the opportunity to explore the region’s research and innovation strengths and identify opportunities for future collaboration.

The event showcased how bringing together expertise from across sectors can accelerate the development of new ideas, technologies and approaches to care, helping ensure children and young people receive the right support at the right time.

As Sheffield Children’s celebrates its 150th year, the Expo reflected the Trust’s long-standing commitment to innovation and partnership. Since opening its doors in 1876, Sheffield Children’s has continually evolved to meet the changing needs of children and families. Today, through investment in research, technology and collaboration, Sheffield Children’s is helping shape the future of child health both in South Yorkshire and beyond.

The Expo reinforced a shared ambition for South Yorkshire to become a leading centre for child health innovation, where new solutions can be developed, tested and adopted at scale. By working together across organisations and sectors, partners are creating opportunities for innovations developed in the region to benefit children and young people across the UK and around the world.

For Sheffield Children’s, the event was a powerful reminder that while Sheffield Children’s is proudly celebrating 150 years of caring for children, its focus remains firmly on the future: working with partners to transform care, improve outcomes and give every child and young person the best possible start in life.