Five of Sheffield’s labour MPs have written to the prime minister, Boris Johnson, and health secretary, Matt Hancock, to seek support for the building of the Child Health Technology (CCHT) on the Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park.  

The centre already has the backing of large international companies including Philips, Cannon Medical, IBM Watson Health, Sheffield Children’s Hospital and South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw Integrated Care System.

WHY IT MATTERS

Once developed, the aim is to create a clinical research space that will be integral to bringing long-term and sustainable change to children’s health and wellbeing.

The proposed 51,300-square-feet space will also enable a partnership with the current research programmes undertaken at Sheffield Children’s Hospital, such as Technology Innovation Transforming Child Health and Young People MedTech Cooperative.

The new centre will deliver other wider health benefits and opportunities for the economy of the Sheffield City region, including the acceleration and adoption of health tech products and creating high value job opportunities.  

THE LARGER CONTEXT

The letter by the MPs comes as Johnson recently announced his "New Deal" plan of infrastructure investment to "build the UK back to health," in which he pledged £1.5 billion to go toward the building and maintenance of hospitals.

ON THE RECORD

The letter highlights that the CCHT would create an “environment where the NHS, academia and the private sector collaborate in innovations that can be commercialised and a critical mass of health and wellbeing research and innovation.”

It also states that at a capital cost of £24 million, the new centre would “deliver excellent value for money and major benefits for the wider health of the economy of Sheffield City Region.”