Young people to have role in shaping health services
Neil Puffett
Thursday, April 26, 2012
A national network of youth health champions is to be established to share the views of young people with GPs and decision makers in the health service.
The Association for Young People’s Health (AYPH) will get up to £390,000 from the Department of Health’s Innovation, Excellence and Strategic Development (IESD) Fund to run the project, designed to create a bridge between clinical professionals and the youth sector.
The three-year project will be run in partnership with the charity Youth Access and the Royal College of General Practitioners’ adolescent health group.
It is specifically aimed at assisting GPs, clinical commissioning groups and health and wellbeing boards in their emerging commissioning roles, putting them in contact with community youth projects to meet and improve young people’s health needs.
Paul Burstow, care services minister, said: “This new funding will improve the lives of thousands of people across England, helping them to lead healthier and more independent lives.
“It is crucial that we continue to champion our voluntary organisations because their expertise allows them to design and develop innovative solutions to the big challenges we face in health, public health and social care.
“These exciting projects are more than worthy of our support and I am delighted that the money will be spent on providing individuals and local communities with the tools to tackle health and wellbeing.”
Voluntary sector organisations submitted funding bids to the Department of Health, setting out how they could help their communities by improving care for thousands of vulnerable people.
AYPH chair Dr John Coleman said: "This very exciting new project could change the face of GP provision to young people and, ultimately, improve health services."
Barbara Rayment, director of Youth Access, added: "There is a huge wealth of expertise in the voluntary sector which GPs should know about and commission."
