Young people in Redbridge, and organisations working with them, are being invited to join an exciting new project that aims to improve the lives of the thousands their age who live, work and study in the borough.
Together with the University of Hertfordshire and Community Action Redbridge, NHS North East London has secured nearly £150,000 from the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) to fund a 14-month research project which aims to get young people actively involved in local health and care planning. so that decisions are centred around their experiences and priorities.
To ensure the project is developed with and for young people and those who work with them, the project team are inviting young people aged 15-21 who live, work or study in Redbridge, to a join a project advisory group. They are also looking for statutory and voluntary sector organisations in the area to get involved in the project, working with the project team and Young Advisors in a ‘community of practice’.
This group will learn and work together to explore how participation can improve the health and wellbeing of local young people.
Redbridge has a richly diverse population but high levels of deprivation, with limited support for young people compared to other parts of north east London. Therefore, the project will focus on how health and care can be improved for young people who are most affected by health inequalities due to factors such as disability, ethnicity, culture, poverty and time in care.
Partners hope the lessons learned during project will help them shape future participation by young people in health and care planning across north east London, and more widely.
Kath Evans, Clinical lead for Babies, Children and Young People at NHS North East London, said: “We know that young people in the UK have poorer health and wellbeing than those in many similar countries but those disparities are all the more stark in areas such as Redbridge where we have higher levels of poverty and deprivation.
“We’re committed to changing that. This project gives us an exciting opportunity to make a positive difference by getting young people actively involved in conversations about health and care services in their own community and giving them a say in decisions that affect their own lives.
“Involving young people in work like this not only amplifies their voices but also builds their confidence to advocate for their own health and wellbeing.
“Our aim is to create a strong and lasting partnership between young people and those who work with them, learning and working together so we can improve the health and wellbeing of under-served young people across north east London.”
Jenny Ellis, Chief Executive Officer, Community Action Redbridge, said: “We’re thrilled to be partnering with NHS North East London, the University of Hertfordshire and local young people on this exciting new project to explore how young people can play an active and influential role in integrated care systems.
Young people are experts in their own lives, and their knowledge, insights and perspectives are crucial to improving health and wellbeing and tackling inequalities. This research project aims to place their voices at the heart of decision-making, ensuring that local priorities and strategies are grounded in their lived experiences, and ultimately more responsive, inclusive and impactful.”
Dr Louca-Mai Brady, Reader in Youth Involvement and Health, University of Hertfordshire said: “Despite increasing interest in young people’s participation in the design and delivery of health services, their views are not consistently sought or acted on and this is even more likely to be the case when they are marginalised or under-served.
“This project offers a really exciting opportunity to explore how best address this, working with a fantastic local community organisation and young people who have set the agenda for this project from the beginning and will be involved all the way through”.
NHS North East London is hosting the project, with Community Action Redbridge leading of the involvement of young people and engagement of local statutory and voluntary sector organisations and the University of Hertfordshire leading research and evaluation.
Community Action Redbridge is inviting applications from young people aged 15-21 who live in Redbridge to join a young people’s advisory group. For more information, please contact Saeeda Bugtti, Youth Leadership Programme Manager: saeeda@communityactionredbridge.org.uk.
If you are an organisation working with young people and/or in young people’s health and care in and around Redbridge, and would like to get involved or find out more, please contact the team at panels@herts.ac.uk.
For more information on the PANELS project, visit the NIHR ARC East of England website
Note: The 14-month PANELS (PArticipation of under-served young people in North East London health and wellbeing Services) project will be co-led by the University of Hertfordshire and Community Action Redbridge and hosted by NHS North East London. Project funding of £149,865.00 was secured from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) under its Programme Grants for Applied Research. The project is supported by the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration East of England (Project IIR25): https://arc-eoe.nihr.ac.uk/. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.
