Sheffield Children’s Hospital

Scope of Work: Sheffield Children’s Hospital is a sophisticated paediatric care facility and one of only three dedicated children’s hospital trusts in the UK, making it a crucial healthcare organisation. Specialising in the care of children and young people up to the age of 16, the hospital offers a comprehensive range of medical treatments, including emergency care, surgery, oncology and mental health support.

As part of the Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, the hospital is recognised for its cutting-edge treatments, advanced research and family-centred approach to care. It serves as a regional hub for specialist paediatric services, treating patients from across the UK and internationally.

With state-of-the-art facilities and a dedicated team of healthcare professionals, Sheffield Children’s Hospital plays a critical role in improving the health and wellbeing of children through compassionate, expert care.

As part of a major refurbishment in 2024, Sheffield Children’s Hospital decided to have a rooftop helipad installed to provide faster emergency access for critically ill and injured children across South Yorkshire. However, the additional weight from the helipad required the reinforcement of several concrete columns to increase their load-bearing capacity.

The challenge of strengthening these columns was compounded by their location in hard-to-reach areas within the hospital, including sensitive zones such as cancer treatment rooms. Working within a busy, active hospital setting added complexity to the project, as the reinforcement needed to be completed with minimal disruption to essential medical services and patient care.

This project was crucial for ensuring both the structural integrity of the building and the hospital’s ability to deliver life-saving treatments swiftly and efficiently.

Carbon fibre strengthening was chosen as a highly effective solution, as its high tensile strength, compact composition and speed of installation made it perfect for the task at hand.

Once the project had been meticulously planned out between the Trust and the main contractor, a team of installation technicians from CCUK got to work. They began by preparing the concrete surfaces around the openings, followed by the application of two layers of the Sika Wrap carbon fibre strengthening system to alleviate any additional stresses.

This project involved the team from CCUK working very closely with the main contractor and the hospital, with work carried out over a series of weekends to minimise disruption for staff and patients.