A new £24m children’s healthcare facility has opened in Sheffield, combining patient care with the development and testing of health technology.
The Spark, at Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park in Attercliffe, is home to the National Centre for Child Health Technology. Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust says the facility is the only one of its kind in the UK.
Care designed around children
The four-storey building will support more than 200 patients each day. Its first two floors provide outpatient services, including diabetes care, sleep support, physiotherapy and rehabilitation.
The upper floors are dedicated to research and technology. Clinicians, academics, businesses and young patients can work together to develop and test products in real time.
That includes a test centre with rooms designed like a home, including a bedroom and kitchen. Children can try products in familiar surroundings and practise using them as they would at home.
The rehabilitation centre features 34 video cameras to help monitor and assess new products. One of the first patients, 11-year-old Peter, uses hybrid closed-loop therapy for diabetes alongside the DigiBete app.
The Spark was funded by the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority, Sheffield City Council and Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity, and delivered with HBC Construction Limited.
Why it matters for Britain
The centre gives children access to specialist care while creating a practical setting for developing new health technologies. Its partnership between the NHS, researchers, businesses and families could help products work better in everyday life.
