Young people deliver verdict on sexual health advice

A survey, carried out by YWCA and commissioned by the Teenage Pregnancy Implementation Group, looked at 32 venues in the Northampton area.

Of the young people questioned, 16 per cent found the welcome to be unfriendly and 59 per cent said the venues were not young people-friendly.

But 56 per cent rated their overall experience as excellent or very good and 78 per cent found it easy to find the venues.

Jane Waite, teenage pregnancy programme lead for NHS Northamptonshire, said: "Reducing the number of under-18 pregnancies is one of our key targets and involving the YWCA in assessing the facilities that young people use will prove incredibly helpful.

"Each one of the facilities visited will receive individual feedback in the hope of improving the experience for young people and increasing the likelihood of them visiting and using these services in the future."

The young people who took part in the survey had been trained to carry out the assessment as mystery shoppers.

They found differences in the way services were provided, with the NHS clinics fulfilling the clinical needs of the young people but not always making them feel comfortable.

The youth support agencies were felt to be more friendly and approachable, while pharmacies had a mixed reaction with some deemed better than others.

Twenty-one of the venues contacted refused to be assessed for the study.