The Duke of Sussex officially opens new wing of Sheffield Children’s Hospital

25 July 2019

The Duke of Sussex officially opened the multi-award winning wing at Sheffield Children’s Hospital today (Thursday 25 July).

During the visit His Royal Highness spent time meeting patients, parents and staff. The Duke visited one of the new wards, a play room in the hospital’s striking play tower and also spoke to children getting a plaster cast in the outpatients department.

The Duke in the play tower with play specialist Claire and patients Max, Issac, Jacob & Joel.

Sheffield Children’s is one of only three specialist children’s trusts in the country, and staff were proud to share the Sheffield Children’s story with His Royal Highness. Patients and parents also told The Duke how the new wing has improved their hospital stay and about the fantastic care staff have provided during their stay.

Opening the new wing

The new £40 million wing of the hospital won three awards before the opening – from Design Week, Building Better Healthcare and the Healthcare Estates IHEEM Award for Best New Build Project of The Year. The wing contains four new wards, therapy rooms, a patient dining room, a parent relaxation room, a teenager hangout room, a new outpatient department and has a Play Tower right at its heart. Within the wards the 72 new children’s beds each have a fold-out bed next to them, giving parents a comfortable place to stay with their child.

Prince Harry unveils a special plaque to officially open the new hospital wing

Sheffield Children’s runs a wide range of community and mental health services, but within the hospital itself staff provide world-class care in a range of specialisms including muscle and bone (including osteogenesis imperfecta and spinal surgery), neurosciences, clinical genetics, sleep disorders and gastroenterology.

“We couldn’t be more proud”

John Somers, Chief Executive of Sheffield Children’s, said: “Today was an incredibly exciting day for the Trust. We were honoured to meet with The Duke of Sussex and talk about our specialist work supporting children from far and wide, and how this wing is helping us take better care of our patients.

“It’s great for our staff and our supporters to be recognised for their work to make the new wing happen. We couldn’t be more proud to have a facility like this to care for children and young people in Sheffield and were delighted to be able to share it with His Royal Highness.”

During his visit The Duke also signed the visitors’ book in the main entrance of the new wing. The last Royal visit was on 29 November 1989 when Diana, Princess of Wales opened an extension of the hospital.

His Royal Highness met with patients, parents and staff including:

Sue Ievers, Head of Nursing, who talked to His Royal Highness through some storyboards highlighting the Hospital’s history, the new development and future plans.

Janet Dodd, Ward Manager, Ward 1, who showed His Royal Highness the main entrance and play tower, the details in the design of light and colour, and benefits to children’s recovery as well as the experience for families.

Prince Harry shows off a blanket for his son Archie, gifted to him by George Marriott, head of the Sheffield Childrens Youth Forum

Claire Williams, Play Specialist, who explained how activity for patients here at the Trust is tailored to age, specific interests and how the child is feeling on the day.

Sean Nolan – “cast wizard”, Plaster Technician, who explained how the team make a scary experience more fun, the way that staff interact with the patient, choosing cast colour, adding glitter and having fun with the artwork by choosing different characters.

George Marriott, Chair of the Youth Forum, who talked about how youth voices are represented in the organisation. He presented His Royal Highness with his own Theo the Bear and a specially commissioned blanket for Master Archie.

On departure, The Duke unveiled a plaque to commemorate the opening of the hospital’s new wing.