Consulted but not heard: A qualitative study of young people's views of their local health service

Abstract

Objectives: The objective of this study was to identify what children and young people in a health district in a large urban area experience as positive - and not so positive - about their local health services, in the light of a growing expectation that users play a more central role in the design and delivery of services. Design: A qualitative study incorporating a range of methods, including interviews, play techniques and a website. Setting: Schools, nurseries, community groups, in- and outpatient settings in an inner London health authority. Participants: Young people aged between 4 and 19 years, from community (n = 92) and clinical (n = 57) settings. This included 'hard-to-reach' children, including those leaving care, those in touch with the criminal justice system, asylum seekers, and those with learning disabilities. Results: Alongside planning and environment issues, young people particularly emphasized the impact of communication and relationships with staff on their experience of health services. Discussion and conclusions: Using a range of flexible and age-appropriate techniques, young people, even those as young as 4 or 5, are able to comment helpfully on their experiences of service provision. What children had to say is revealing but not astonishing to those working in the National Health Service (NHS). Clinicians and managers, to whom our findings were fed back, made this clear. If we have known for so long that the issues raised here are problems, why are we so poor at acting on this knowledge? The authors suggest four explanations.