Sheffield Children's Hospital

On this page

• Overview
• Person-centred Care
• Care provision, Integration and continuity
• Providing Information
• Listening to and involving people
• Equity in access
• Equity in experiences and outcomes
• Planning for the future

We assessed 1 quality statement under this key question. The service demonstrated a commitment to providing inclusive, accessible and responsive care. Staff took appropriate steps to reduce barriers to accessing the service and promote equitable care for children and young people with diverse needs.

Find out what we look at when we assess this area in our information about our new Single assessment framework.

The judgement for Person-centred Care is based on the latest evidence we assessed for the Responsive key question.

The judgement for Care provision, Integration and continuity is based on the latest evidence we assessed for the Responsive key question.

The judgement for Providing Information is based on the latest evidence we assessed for the Responsive key question.

The judgement for Listening to and involving people is based on the latest evidence we assessed for the Responsive key question.

The Children’s SARC operated 7 days a week, 365 days a year, and could be contacted between 9am and 9pm. Clear information was available on the trust’s website to support police and partner agencies in making referrals and accessing the service.

Staff received regular equality, diversity and inclusion training and demonstrated an understanding of their responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010. They were committed to providing inclusive and personalised care and took account of each child or young person's individual communication, cultural and accessibility needs.

The service had a range of measures in place to support effective communication. Staff had access to professional interpretation services for patients and families who did not speak or understand English. We saw evidence within patient records that interpreters were used appropriately when required. The trust’s website could also be translated into multiple languages, improving access to information.

Staff used a variety of communication tools to support children and young people with additional needs. For example, ‘My Voice Matters’ (a communication tool) to help children who had difficulty communicating verbally express their wishes, feelings and needs.

The environment was accessible for children and young people with a range of needs. The building was fully wheelchair accessible and disabled parking was available in an on site underground car park with some reserved spaces for blue badge holders, and in a public car park directly opposite the hospital. The forensic examination room was spacious, and toilet facilities were designed to meet accessibility requirements, including the provision of emergency call bells.

However, the service should consider strengthening its processes by capturing, where relevant to the individual child or young person’s care, information gathered in an age-appropriate manner relating to the patient's’ sexual orientation, gender identity and preferred pronouns. This would support the delivery of more personalised care, promote inclusive practice and help ensure that children and young people be referred to specialist LGBT+ support services where appropriate.

The judgement for Equity in experiences and outcomes is based on the latest evidence we assessed for the Responsive key question.

The judgement for Planning for the future is based on the latest evidence we assessed for the Responsive key question.