Résumé
Background‘If this is a space for young people then it should be created by young people.’ This quote was from our virtual focus group with adolescent service users in our journey to co-create a waiting area for Young People (YP) in the community. The rise in mental health problems in YP, has been amplified by the COVID-19 Pandemic [1]. Community services must become emotionally aware, through minimising anxiety for YP within assessment and treatments pathways to optimise engagement. The 2019 ‘State of Child health & Us’ report states the importance of youth friendly services and clinical environment as key for improving engagement and long-term health outcomes [2]. Specific feedback from YP included being with people of a similar age and having a one-stop shop approach to YP health needs [3].ObjectivesEvaluate the YP’s experience of the Centre for Child Health with a real-time survey at the point of access.Collaborate with YP who use our service in an online focus group to co-create their vision of a YP’s waiting area.Seek funding to co-produce a comfortable, relaxing and educational waiting area based on YP’s feedback, decreasing anxiety and improving engagement with the service and hence their long-term health outcomes.MethodsA 10 question online survey asking YP’s Likert scaling of their opinions and feelings regarding the waiting room, health promotion materials and understanding of and engagement with their health conditions. Including qualitative descriptions of the waiting area and ideas for improvement.ResultsSURVEY: 10 responses collected from users aged 11–18 (03/11/2020 – 15/12/2020). Almost half of respondents found the waiting area ‘boring’ and ‘baby focused’, causing them to feel sad before their appointment. Only 1 in 3 respondents reported they understood their health. 50% were not satisfied with the health information provided – over half preferring electronic format, recommending introducing a tablet in a separate YP’s area.VIRTUAL FOCUS GROUP: (02/12/20) 8 service users participated. They shared feelings of anxiety due to ‘long waits’ amongst others. They suggested improvements such as, ‘less hospitally’/‘warmer’ colours, circular ‘inclusive’ seating and a range of activities. Other suggestions included YP inspired artwork and an accessible library of short ‘Tik-Tok’ style videos to deliver health promotion and appointment information.ConclusionsWe successfully collaborated with YP virtually, to co-create a vision of a youth friendly waiting area at the children’s centre. We have put in a funding application to make their vision a reality. We will: provide tablets loaded with short videos of appointment overviews and health promotion resources;create a warmer colour scheme and relaxed seating area for a welcoming environment. We will co-create virtual art-work with local YP for display. We will collate ongoing feedback on our changes from the YP using established methods. We will monitor attendance figures as a proxy for engagement with services and ultimately improve our patients’ experience.