6871 ‘Have your say’ young person participation sessions – empowering the voice of young people on our wards

Objectives This project explores the impact 'Have Your Say' participation sessions have had when implemented within a Level 2 paediatric unit. These sessions used a youth methodology approach for youth participation to create a platform for young people to voice their hospital care experiences with the aim to improve their care and service provision – whereby they feed into and influence the service they are engaging with. Methods The sessions have been developed in partnership with a Young Somerset Youth Worker and Community CAMHS Service User Participation Lead. Together they facilitated weekly voluntary drop-in sessions for young people (from 11 years old) to attend during their hospital admission. Feedback focused upon ward experiences and recommendations for change. Opportunities were made to give retrospective feedback following discharge through community links. A retrospective qualitative review was undertaken on feedback responses from May 2023 to October 2023. Results All young people valued the participation sessions. They found the meetings empowering, providing an opportunity for young people to share their experiences about their admission. Meetings were more valued by those whom had long stay admissions compared to short stay admissions. Upon review of the feedback, 2 main themes defined what was important for young people during their admission. Themes included: (1) interaction and communication with staff members and (2), optimising ward environment. Communication highlights included both interacting with staff members and witnessing communication between staff members. Improvements to ward environment were often raised including self-care provisions and facilities and off ward break-out spaces for relaxation away from the clinical environment. Upon feedback, changes have been implemented to improve care and service provision. These include placement of a Sound Ear on the ward to serve a reminder about noise levels for sleep and feedback updates disseminated to staff members to increase insight and awareness of young persons' needs during their stay. Challenges have been met upon establishing the sessions including attendance and optimal timing of the meetings to accommodate young peoples' individual needs and safety. Conclusion 'Have Your Say' sessions have created a space to empower young people to make improvements in their hospital care. This project identifies importance of optimising and excelling in communication with young people attending the hospital environment. By talking and engaging in open communication we can make positive and meaningful changes in their care and show young people we are listening.