Last month, we held our final webinar which explored the National Youth Strategy and its potential impact on youth voice in healthcare. The strategy sets out how the government plans to work together with partners to respond to young peoples’ priorities, and was developed with young people and cross-sector experts, putting them at the centre of decision-making on policies that affect them.
Ashwin Sridhar is a student at the University of Cambridge and an NHS Young Researcher and Youth Forum member, working with policy leads at NHS England to improve healthcare services for children and young people. Here, he reflects on what the strategy could really mean for young people.
Going beyond ‘voice youth’
We interact with healthcare systems differently from adults, and the challenges we face – such as school pressures, family responsibilities, financial constraints, and social expectations – can significantly influence our health choices. Too often, medical advice is delivered in a top-down way, where professionals tell young people what to do without explaining the reasoning behind those decisions. Because young people are not often genuinely involved in the design of healthcare services, many services overlook important barriers or needs.
At its heart, the new strategy emphasises a shift from simply listening to “youth voice” to actually giving young people “youth power” to shape policies. Tapping into youth power throughout the healthcare process would help make services more effective and accessible. This could include involving young people in shaping environments such as waiting rooms, improving the way information and advice are communicated, and ensuring services are delivered in ways that feel approachable and relevant.
Youth advisory groups, consultation panels, and transparent feedback systems would allow young people’s perspectives to meaningfully influence how services are designed and delivered.
Mental health and ‘Young Futures Hubs’
Accessing professional mental health services has always been a struggle for many young people. Stigma and limited access to high-quality resources means that many young people go without the support they need. The National Youth Strategy has responded to young people asking for better access to mental health support by creating 50 multi-agency “Young Futures Hubs” to help vulnerable youth dealing with poor mental health. While activity-based youth groups have the potential to provide a safe and engaging environment for young people, to truly meet their needs, these hubs need to be co-designed and continually shaped by young people themselves. Establishing youth advisory panels, regular feedback mechanisms, and opportunities to contribute to programme design would help ensure these hubs remain relevant and useful for the communities they aim to support.
The role of ‘trusted adults’
During the development of the strategy, young people shared the importance that youth workers and other trusted adults play in helping them manage their mental health and wellbeing. Young people would benefit from trusted adults who genuinely listen and take the time to understand the wider environment that shapes our experiences. Our lives are influenced by school pressures, friendships, family expectations, and social environments, and it is important that adults who support us recognise and understand the impacts of these factors. When advice feels non-judgemental and tailored to our individual situations, we are far more likely to feel supported and understood.
Ultimately, trusted adults need to create safe spaces where we feel comfortable sharing our concerns without fear of judgement. When that trust exists, it becomes much easier for us to open up about challenges we might otherwise hesitate to discuss in more formal environments.
Inclusivity
The strategy identified young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) as one of the groups most heavily impacted by current pressures and barriers to accessing services. Ensuring that healthcare services are accessible and inclusive to all young people is really important to me.
The healthcare system is complex and navigating services can be confusing. For individuals with additional needs, these challenges can be even greater if services are not clearly communicated or designed with accessibility in mind.
Another major difficulty for young people with diverse needs is the transition between services, particularly when moving from child to adult healthcare. Many young people are left behind when they age out of services, or transfer between clinics. The lack of smooth transitions between these systems can lead to gaps in support and prevent young people from continuing to access the help they need.
Local services need to become more inclusive by simplifying access points and improving communication. Clearer guidance on how to seek help, better coordination between schools, youth groups, and health services, and more youth-friendly communication would make support easier to navigate. In addition, ensuring services are accessible, inclusive and flexible in how they deliver support would help more young people feel that the system is designed with them in mind. The only way to ensure accessible services is through co-production with young people. In doing so, services can really reflect and serve the communities they aim to support.
Tackling isolation
The digital age has completely changed how we experience connection. While technology enables us to stay connected online, it often struggles to replace real, in-person relationships. When young people feel disconnected from their school or community, social media can amplify feelings of loneliness, affecting both our mental and physical health.
A major goal of the strategy is to help young people feel more connected to their communities, in order to boost their overall physical and mental health. It is important to recognise that young people connect in different ways.
Creating healthier, moderated online communities and digital programmes could help reach young people who might not initially engage through traditional activities, while still supporting connection and wellbeing.
At the same time, we also need more programmes that bring together young people from different backgrounds. Organisations like the former National Citizen Service created opportunities for social mixing and helped build community, friendships, and a stronger sense of belonging. Following the closure of NCS, there are now far fewer programmes that actively create these opportunities, especially on a national scale. This leaves a critical gap, and it increasingly falls on youth groups and community organisations to provide spaces where young people from different backgrounds can come together.
Whether it’s designing Young Futures Hubs, supporting trusted adults, or making services accessible to young people with SEND – none of it works without us at the table. We have valuable insight and experience. Healthcare can work better for all young people if you involve us and recognise our power.
The webinar also heard from Kayleigh Wainwright and Robert Croft (Department for Culture, Media and Sport) who presented on the strategy, and heard reflections from Bronte Edwards (Barnardo’s). You can watch it here.