Blog:The importance of young people’s involvement in health and care services
18/09/2018
Through our work we find out whether local health and social care services are meeting the needs and demands of children and young people! Our remit covers all health and social care services, which are paid for through the tax system. Some of the areas as highlighted by Healthwatch England include:
- Specialist children’s hospitals or units
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)
- Community equipment and wheelchair services
- Early years and childcare provision
- Children’s care and short break provisions
- Residential special school provision and care or health elements of Special Educational Needs (SEN) services
- Public health interventions for sexual health, child obesity, addition and alcohol abuse.
Healthwatch are keen to engage with schools and their students. This opportunity will give students the chance to learn about local health and social care services and influence change.
Young people are the future, by giving them the opportunity to be heard and listened, they will be able to influence future services and help develop, change and ensure that these services are of good quality.
We also offer the chance for young people to be part of the Enter and View team as they bring a fresh perspective in the current way health and social care services are delivered.
What’s Enter and View?
We have the power to conduct Enter and Views on children’s health settings and speak to the children and young people using the services and observe policies and practices in action. Enter and View visits are carried out under section 221 of the Health and Social Care Act 2012. It imposes duties on certain health and social care providers to allow authorised representatives of local Healthwatch organisations to enter premises and carry out observations for the purposes of Healthwatch activity.
During the visit Healthwatch representatives who have been recruited and trained gather the experiences of service users, their relatives or friends and staff to collect evidence of the quality and standard of the services being provided. The visits enable us to share examples of best practice and make recommendations for improvements from the perspective of people who experience the service first-hand.
This year we are really keen to speak to young people, we are calling on all local schools and colleges to make contact if they would like us to run attend an assembly or run a class sessions and undertake some interact sessions with the students.
Healthwatch was established under the Health & Social Care Act 2012 as the consumer champion in health and social care, to ensure people’s experiences and views shape local health and social care services.
What’s different about Healthwatch? We are independent from the government and all out work is taken forward from evidence that local community has shared with us. Using our powers, we can ensure the views of children and young people are heard by commissioners and providers.
Contact details
Email: Manisha. Modhvadia@healthwatchbarkinganddagenham.co.uk
Telephone: 0800 298 5331
Twitter: HealthwatchBD
Facebook: Healthwatch BD
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