Former NHS HQ should be demolished due to safety risk

Fulwood House on Old Fulwood Road suffered major damage after a fire in July

A former NHS headquarters should be demolished because it is at risk of collapse following two fires, a report has said.

The latest blaze at Fulwood House, the former head office of Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust, resulted in catastrophic damage including "a full collapse of the roof and a severely compromised first floor".

The report to the trust recommended full demolition of the building due to it being an "ongoing safety hazard".

A meeting was told the house had been empty since 2023 after staff and services were relocated and had remained unoccupied since.

The trust's board of directors was told that the buildings on the site were highly accessible, which had created "persistent challenges" in securing it from trespassers.

In recent months there had been escalating incidents of anti-social behaviour, including break-ins, vandalism and fire-related activity, it said.

The report added: "These concerns have culminated in two significant fire events affecting the derelict buildings in late May and early July 2025, with the second incident severely damaging the original Fulwood House structure."

Housing plans

The meeting heard how an independent structural survey of the building had found it was "deemed at risk of imminent and progressive collapse."

Board members were told the site had been earmarked for housing by a property developer and the trust was now looking at the most cost-effective way to demolish the house.

This would include an assessment of any asbestos present in the building, although perimeter air monitoring found no detectable airborne fibres, the report said.

It added: "The trust continues to monitor and adapt security arrangements and is actively reviewing alternative measures and providers to ensure effective risk management at the site."

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