Briefing: Crib Sheet - Young people's health

Groan - teenagers and health? Rampant hormones, junk food, and experimenting with substances I can't even identify. Is that envy? Look at Standard 4 of the National Service Framework. "All young people have access to age-appropriate services which are responsive to their specific needs as they grow into adulthood." It might be ambitious given the lack of facilities, but it's not unreasonable.

Sorry. Well, we are talking about a critical period in a young person's life. They're beginning to take more responsibility for their own health choices. Their parents are juggling with the desire to grant them greater independence and the urge to keep them close and safe. The list of issues that concern young people is familiar: a wish to see a medical consultant without their parents; the need for confidentiality; access to practical materials on healthy living to help them make informed choices; common concerns around food, sex, mental health, accidental injury, drugs, alcohol and smoking. And they don't want to have to wait too long or travel too far to get the help they seek.