Virtual Wards team celebrate coveted CCLG Award win! 

The Virtual Wards Team at Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust have won the ‘Innovation in Practice Award’ at the Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia Group (CCLG) Member Awards.  

The team have been recognised for their outstanding performance, excellence, and dedication to children’s and young people’s cancer care. 

David King, consultant paediatric oncologist said: “It has taken a lot of effort from many different members of our team over the last year to deliver the virtual ward project. It is fantastic to see the impact this is having on patients and their families who would otherwise have to spend prolonged periods of time in hospital. Having this work recognised nationally is a great achievement. We’re looking forward to building on this initial success and will continue to offer bespoke care for the children and young people that visit us in the future.” 

The virtual wards programme at Sheffield Children’s allows children and young people to receive hospital level care from the comfort of their own home. It forms part of an innovative pilot project, initially funded by the South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw NHS Acute Federation, which aim to improve patient experience, enhances clinical outcomes, and reduce the need for hospital admissions. 

This resource helps families to access safe, kind and outstanding care from the comfort of their own homes, rather than as an inpatient at Sheffield Children’s Hospital. Eligible families are given a kit, which includes a digital tablet and an infrared thermometer. They are then asked to complete a set of questions each morning and to take their child’s temperature twice per day. Once these results are entered onto their tablets, they can be reviewed by professionals at Sheffield Children’s Hospital. Several different pathways have now been developed including the most recent which allows children to receive chemotherapy hydration at home rather than hospital. 

The CCLG Awards celebrate the outstanding contribution of healthcare workers and teams around the country to the CCLG and to children and young people with cancer, recognising their professionalism, compassion, commitment and more. 

Sheffield Children’s turns 150 this year, and we’re celebrating 150 years of compassion, quality care, and pioneering spirit. Our whole-child approach means we support children not just in a moment of need, but throughout their entire health and care journey, be that in hospital, school or at home, with kindness, expertise, and unwavering commitment. 

Through innovation, equity and ambition, we’re creating healthier futures for every child, everywhere.