Young listeners project: sharing young people's feedback to improve the health and social care services they use
Download (PDF 1.72 MB)Summary of report content
Healthwatch Dorset undertook a Young Listeners project building on work from 2020. They used young people to engage with their peers to find out what matters to young people when using local health and care services. They spoke to at least 116 young people in June and July 2021.
Most young people felt there wasn’t enough information about health and social care services in their area. Helplines weren’t enough, and four in five felt that there wasn’t enough education and information in schools.
Over four in five said they knew where to get support, but less than two thirds felt they were able to access the support they needed. Young people accessed support from a variety of sources, including school, helplines, parents and medical professionals.
The biggest barrier to young people getting the support and information they need is a feeling of embarrassment or stigma. Young people living in rural areas felt that they couldn’t access support without letting their parents know. Having a lack of time with health professionals was highlighted, as well as waiting times, which were also a deterrent to accessing support. Other barriers included the lack of a person-centred approach and format and language used in communications.
There were common concerns raised about communication between services, communication with young people, and about communication between services and the young people’s school or college. Young people also didn’t feel listened to by health professionals. Most felt that they had to repeat their stories to different services.
Young people’s experiences of transition between services was very poor. Poorly planned, uncoordinated, and disjointed were words commonly used to describe their experience.
The report contains 10 recommendations.