You’re Welcome quality criteria

A national development to improve health services and make them more

young people friendly

Sheridan TownsendHealth Development Manager –

Children, Young People & Healthy SchoolsNHS East Lancashire

Overview

• You’re Welcome principles• Activity 1• National Picture• You’re Welcome origins• You’re Welcome Quality Criteria• Activity 2• Joined-up working• Monitoring and evaluation, and involvement

of young people• Health Issues for Young People

All young people are entitled to receive

appropriate healthcare wherever they access it.

The You’re Welcome quality criteria sets out principles to support health service providers to improve their

services and be more young people friendly.

Activity

Task: Imagine you are a young person -

discuss your expectations of health

services that you receive.

National Picture: what young people tell us

• Limited knowledge of services by young people

• Inconvenient locations

• Limited opening times

• Unfriendly & inaccessible

• Concerns about confidentiality

• Barriers to access for: young people living in rural settings, BME groups, boys & young men, young people with disabilities

• Teenagers often find it difficult to find/access services appropriate to their needs - fall between the two stools of children’s and adult’s services

• Many services don’t always meet young people’s needs with respect to confidentiality, privacy and communication skills as well as knowledge of the basic biological and psychological changes of adolescence

The National Picture:what do young people want?

• Confidential

• Easily accessible

• Located on a side street near the town centre (or near school or college)

• Smart, clean premises with frequent opening times

• Walk-in based (with appointment options)

• Reception & waiting areas to minimise embarrassment

• Warm, friendly, non-judgemental staff

• Non medical language

• No assumptions about sexual orientation (Brook and Teenage

Pregnancy Unit)

“You’re Welcome builds on our ‘Getting it Right for teenagers’ campaign which

encourages GPs to make their practices ‘young person friendly’ and to

promote best practice around vital issues such as confidentiality.

As such, we are keen that it is something that GPs will take on board, so that young people will continue to see general practice as an important source of help and advice on health

issues.”

Dick Churchill,Chair of the Royal College of GPs’

Adolescent Task Group

You’re Welcome origins

Ten Issues Covered:• accessibility• publicity• confidentiality and consent• the environment• staff training, skills, attitudes

and values• joined-up working• monitoring and evaluation, and

involvement of young people• health issues for adolescents• sexual/reproductive health

services• CAMHS

You’re WelcomeQuality Criteria

The programme is focused on settings in England in the community and in hospitals and includes non-NHS and non-traditional health service environments.

DH 2009/10 settings priorities:

• General practice • Schools and FE based health services• Community pharmacy• Sexual and reproductive health services including GUM and abortion service providers

Which health servicesdoes it apply to?

Activity

Task: Flip chart the range of services offered to young

people in your setting

Joined-up working

• Where possible, other relevant services for young people are co-located within the school.

• Where this is not the case, the school provides information about other local services for young people.

• All staff are familiar with local service

provision and arrangements for referral.

Monitoring and evaluation,and involvement of young people

• Young people are formally consulted in relation to current health services and relevant new developments, and they are included in patient satisfaction surveys.

• Processes are in place to ensure that information gathered from young people is included in survey results and considered in service development plans.

Health issues foryoung people

The school systematically takes all appropriate opportunities to deliver key health promotion messages of concern to young people, which may encompass topics, including:

• smoking cessation• healthy eating & weight management• alcohol misuse• substance misuse• mental health and psychological wellbeing• sexual/reproductive health

Health issues foryoung people

• The school and services within school provide information on common health concerns, information on local specialist services, relevant national websites and helplines.

• Parents/carers are provided with relevant information about health issues that concern young people generally and are supported to discuss these with their children.

Health issues foryoung people

– Emotional wellbeing and mental health support is available to young people on site.

– A clear referral pathway is identified for young people with identified psychological wellbeing and mental health concerns.

• Specific attention is given to the needs of young people with a chronic, long-term condition

Contacts

• Sheridan Townsend – NHS East Lancashire

sheridan.townsend@eastlancspct.nhs.uk

01282 644965 07730 815822

• Sandra Fox – NHS East Lancashire

Sandra.fox@eastlancspct.nhs.uk

01282 644950 07875 005912