The experiences of children and young people of health services
The views and experience of children and young people can often be overlooked, with many engagement methods not always easy for a younger age group.
Throughout the spring and summer of 2017 Healthwatch Northamptonshire attended various events held by partners across the county. This enabled us to gain views from a diverse range of children, some of which had special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or were in foster care.
Recommendations
Some young people told us that they were bored, nervous and scared when attending GP appointments. Many of the toys and books in waiting rooms are aimed at under-five’s
To further ease anxiety and fear in children and young, people more should be done to explain to them what is going to happen at the next appointment and a brief outline of what the next part of the treatment will involve, including confirming that they have understood.
Further work could be done by Nene and Corby Clinical Commissioning Groups and Healthwatch Northamptonshire to engage with and consult children and young people about what changes they would like to see in healthcare settings in Northamptonshire
