The NHS Young Researchers are a group of 25 young people aged between 16 to 24, part of the wider NHS Youth Forum, who work alongside Barnardo's and NHS England to advocate for valuable participation and provide a voice for young people within healthcare services. The group works alongside NHS England to voice young people’s priorities for healthcare services so that these can be embedded within national and local policies to ensure the best health outcomes for young people.
This year, the focus for the Young Researchers' projects were on the NHS 10-Year Health Plan produced by the Department for Health and Social Care. The plan looks at reforms to the NHS and wider existing community services to close the gaps and ease pressures that they are currently facing. There are three shifts as part of the plan: Hospital to Community, Treatment to Prevention, and Analogue to Digital. All Young Researchers were split into three groups to focus on one particular shift in the plan. This report focuses on the Hospital to Community shift by exploring the research question: "How can the shift to community care be set up more effectively to ensure that young people’s health and wellbeing is a priority?".
To gather evidence, the group developed surveys for young people, parents and carers, and staff. Survey responses highlighted negative experiences of care, numerous barriers and accessibility issues, individuals' sense that they cannot participate in their care, and a lack of confidence in providing feedback. This was supported by staff responses indicating that participation was ‘tokenistic ’ and that young people were not receiving wraparound, holistic care to meet their needs. Respondents also highlighted the need for services such as education, CAMHS, social care, youth services, and the NHS to work together to ensure community care is as effective and supportive as possible for young people.
In conclusion, the report found that community care covers a wide range of services, and the shift from Hospital to Community care requires collaborative input from NHS England, Social Care, and the Department for Health and Social Care. Significant planning and changes are needed to address service gaps and ensure that young people are not left without adequate support and care. Young people, their parents and carers, as well as staff, need to be involved in developing and shaping services to ensure that services work effectively for them.