Rethink Cuts to Sheffield Children's Hospital

A Department of Health memo revealed the Coalition Government is planning to reduce the top-up tariff given to specialist children’s services by two thirds. This will result in £4.9 million cut each year to the funding that Sheffield Children’s Hospital receives.

The purpose of the top up tariff is to recognise that specialist children’s services need greater funding than mainstream health services. It takes account of the fact that children's procedures often involve more staff, more specialist equipment and requires closer monitoring than the same treatment for an adult.

A cut of this size could have direct repercussions on the ability of Sheffield Children’s Hospital to treat the most severely ill children in Sheffield, South Yorkshire and the country.

This massive cut to specialist children’s services is far beyond what the government is cutting to other areas. It unfairly targets children and could hit Sheffield Children’s Hospital harder as it doesn’t have more mainstream services to rely on for income like many hospitals in other areas.

A spokesperson for the trust has confirmed that this cut “would have a serious impact on the hospital finances and its ability to deliver some services.”