Sheffield Children’s held an event to recognise the outstanding efforts of their Neuromuscular team, who recently became a Muscular Dystrophy UK Centre of Clinical Excellence with Research!
As they marked the occasion in the summer sunshine, the team also welcomed some wonderful guests including Sheffield Children’s Chief Executive Ruth Brown, Lord Mayor Councillor Jayne Dunn and, and representatives from Muscular Dystrophy UK who spoke to attendees in recognition of the amazing work done by the service in supporting our children, young people, and families.
Current patients Isaac and Eli also attended the event with their families, acknowledging the team’s hard work and testing their skills on the accessible play area at The Ryegate Children’s Centre. Nasra, Isaac’s mum, showed her appreciation for the outstanding care delivered by the team. She said: “My son and whole family feel supported by the team at Sheffield Children’s and really appreciate the amazing work that they do!”
The Neuromuscular team at Sheffield Children’s provides care and support to children with disorders of nerves and muscles, and related conditions from birth through to transition to adult services. They were presented with this prestigious award which included research excellence alongside 15 other children’s and adult services across the UK for providing outstanding care, promoting best practice locally and nationally and demonstrating their commitment to improving health and care for people living with muscle wasting and weakening conditions.
Dr Min Ong, Neuromuscular Consultant at Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, said: “It is a real honour to receive Muscular Dystrophy UK’s Centre of Excellence for the second time. We are also very pleased to be recognised for excellence in research. This award recognises the ongoing care and support that the Sheffield Children’s team provides to our patients in South Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Lincolnshire and beyond and our efforts to improve understanding of neuromuscular conditions. We pride ourselves in supporting people living with a muscle wasting or weakening condition and providing an excellent standard of care.”
Sheffield Children’s was recognised alongside 23 other neuromuscular centres across the UK. These centres provide a lifeline for those living with a muscle wasting or weakening condition. The information gathered through the awards process also provides a benchmark of neuromuscular services across all centres that took part in a national audit. This will help centres in their efforts to build business cases for additional NHS investment in core services.
Muscular Dystrophy UK represents more than 110,000 children and adults in the UK living with one of over 60 muscle wasting and weakening conditions. Their Centres of Excellence awards take place every three years. The audit is overseen by the charity’s Services Development Committee and an independent sub-committee of neuromuscular health professionals and people with lived experience of neuromuscular conditions. The audit reviews information, a range of case studies and examples of best practice as well as assessing the way neuromuscular services are organised and how people using the services can access them.
Catherine Woodhead, Chief Executive of Muscular Dystrophy UK, said: “We would like to congratulate Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust on being recognised with a Centre of Excellence award after a robust and rigorous assessment of their service by leading neuromuscular experts and members of the muscle wasting and weakening community. Despite continuing pressures and challenges within the NHS, these centres strive every day to ensure they promote best practice and provide an exemplary service.
“The findings from our Centre of Excellence awards demonstrate that many centres continue to require investment to develop specialist multi-disciplinary teams that can provide the best care possible, along with a working environment that fosters the ability to conduct or support excellent research and clinical trials to advance treatments and other scientific progress. That’s why we’re calling on commissioners to include requirements for the provision of the recommended standards of neuromuscular care.”
For further information on Muscular Dystrophy UK’s Centre of Excellence awards visit: musculardystrophyuk.org/centreofexcellenceawards