Under-16s are being ignored in national NHS patient surveys, according to latest research.
Researchers at the UCL Institute of Child Health’s department of general and adolescent paediatrics, looked at 38 national patient surveys carried out between 2001 and 2011.
The views of patients under the age of 16 were included in just one survey. This is the equivalent of just 0.6 per cent of the 10 million patients who responded in total.
Their research, which is published in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood, suggests that, if questioned, under-16s would be more critical than older people of the care they receive.
Those in their late teens and early 20s who were surveyed often had a more negative view of care than older patients.
The 2009 inpatient survey for example found that 16- to 24-year-old women were "significantly less likely than older patients to report a positive experience".
The report authors said: "At the national policy level, there is a clear gap between our findings and the stated aims of professionals and policymakers to listen to young people."
They also called on government to remember the recommendations of 2010’s Kennedy Report, which challenged ministers to address the "disproportionately lower priority" given to young people’s care in the NHS.
The Department of Health has been contacted for comment.
The views of patients under the age of 16 were included in just one survey. This is the equivalent of just 0.6 per cent of the 10 million patients who responded in total.
Their research, which is published in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood, suggests that, if questioned, under-16s would be more critical than older people of the care they receive.
Those in their late teens and early 20s who were surveyed often had a more negative view of care than older patients.
The 2009 inpatient survey for example found that 16- to 24-year-old women were "significantly less likely than older patients to report a positive experience".
The report authors said: "At the national policy level, there is a clear gap between our findings and the stated aims of professionals and policymakers to listen to young people."
They also called on government to remember the recommendations of 2010’s Kennedy Report, which challenged ministers to address the "disproportionately lower priority" given to young people’s care in the NHS.
The Department of Health has been contacted for comment.
