The Sport, Health and Wellbeing sector in Sheffield
In this Editorial
Sheffield has a number of distinct assets within the Sport, Health and Wellbeing arena and, thanks to the rich heritage in medical technology development, the city is home to one of the UK’s largest Medical Devices clusters. Our manufacturing expertise means we also have one of the largest concentrations of orthopaedic, medical device and surgical instrumentation companies in the UK.
Healthcare Technology companies based in the city are able to access significant expertise in user-centred design, novel materials and advanced manufacturing techniques to develop new products and services for the sector. There is also considerable capability in a range of disciplines including human centred design, electronics, diagnostics, additive manufacturing, robotics, health economics, digital healthcare applications, biomaterials and tissue engineering.
A large factor in the recent additional boost in investment in this sector is Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park, which is delivering a tangible legacy from the London 2012 Olympic Games through a combination of world-class sports facilities, education, skills, research and innovation, economic regeneration, environmental improvements and opportunities for the local community.
Child Health Technology
Sheffield is a world-leading centre for child health technology, and in this video Paul Dmitri explains some of the projects and people making fantastic contributions, as well s why it is crucial we invest in this area.
At Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park
The Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre (AWRC)
A joint venture between Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Sheffield City Council. Following a £14m investment from the UK’s Department of Health, the AWRC will be the most advanced research and development centre for physical activity in the world, providing state-of-the-art, fully instrumented indoor and outdoor laboratories and a team of over 70 researchers delivering collaborative projects. These researchers, from Sheffield Hallam University, will be drawn from a range of specialities as required, from Sports Engineering, Materials Engineering and Software Development, to Elite Sports Science and Psychology.
The Centre for Child Health Technology (CCHT)
Children are 20% of our population, but 100% of our future - so why do so many medical technologies for adults get adapted for children, as opposed to be designed for children to start with? The CCHT, as a world first, brings together experts in health, academia and industry to develop cutting edge technologies that will deliver the world’s most advanced healthcare for children. This will all be in an environment where research can be fast tracked and put into practice as a result of clinicians, patients, investors, technology firms and families all being in one site.
NHS Trusts
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK’s largest, busiest and most successful NHS foundation trusts, and with around 17,000 employees they are one of the biggest employers locally. They provide a full range of hospital and community services for people in Sheffield, as well as specialist care for patients from further afield. As well as being home to one of three Major Trauma Centres for the Yorkshire and Humber region, they have a number of specialist medical and surgical services, many of which they are internationally renowned for. These include cancer treatment, spinal injuries, neurology, cardiology and stereotactic radiosurgery.
We also are home to Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust, which is one of only three dedicated children’s hospital trusts in the UK and provides integrated healthcare for children and young people, including community and mental health care as well as acute and specialist services.
Sheffield Hallam University
We are a region that is becoming renowned for wellness, for the prevention of health issues and the prolonging of our quality of life. The overlapping of our research, industry and innovation practices means a Health & Wellbeing cluster has formed that can make significant impacts on health with global implications. Research and innovation are what we’re becoming known for and through our extensive networks we can help your business tap into this knowledge.
University of Sheffield
The English Institute of Sport (EIS)
This is the country’s largest multi-sports training centre, making sports accessible for everyone - the local community, schools, general public, businesses and elite athletes. The world class facilities are home to numerous local and national sporting clubs and governing bodies and enable participation in a number of sports activities at all levels.
Sheffield Healthcare Gateway
Creating healthcare partnerships and collaborations with service providers and pharmaceutical, clinical, life science and biomedical companies. They have expertise across a broad field of subject areas and have collaborated with over 2,000 organisations to find novel solutions to real world problems.
Devices for Dignity
One of 11 national MedTech and In vitro diagnostic Co-operatives (MICs) is hosted at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. They are funded by the NIHR to act as a catalyst within the NHS for the development of new medical devices, healthcare technologies and technology-dependent interventions. In Sheffield the focus is on developing technology solutions to meet clinical needs, chronic health conditions that are often overlooked (and that are typically associated with loss of dignity and independence), and poor patient outcomes.