‘Come out of your comfort zone’: Hospital launches new youth council

Exciting plans to give young people a say on what happens at Lynn’s hospital have been unveiled.On Tuesday, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital launched its new youth council project for those aged 16 to 25.It aims to make sure the voice of young people is heard by decision-makers at the hospital, while members can also update their friends and communities about what is happening there.

Among the invited guests were two members of the new youth council, Katie Harnwell, 21, and Ravindu Hewa Gamage, 25.After joining the NHS at 18 years old, Katie is now a digital and IC administrator at the QEH.She said coming into the NHS at such a young age can feel quite daunting and isolating, and this project has been something she wanted to be a part so she “help out that 18-year-old person that is coming in”.

Katie said: “I would tell someone to definitely join. We can be a support network to each other and we can give advice to each other.” Ravindu is a digital service desk analyst at the hospital and joined the new youth project after being part of his former school council.He said: “I have done a bit of working for the local council when I was in my youth. I know I made a few changes when I was part of that, so I think it would be good for young people to join this and make a much wider difference overall.

“For any youngsters wanting to join, don’t be afraid, put your foot out there, and come out of your comfort zone.” The group will set its own priorities, work closely with departments in the hospital, and be a crucial new way of boosting the links between the QEH and the wider community.Alice Webb, CEO of the hospital, said: “It will be a two-way process and a communication bridge so that we can also ask the youth council to work alongside our governors and the rest of Team QEH to spread the word about what we are doing too.

“This is particularly important now with the new hospital. This building will be something that youth council members are likely to have to use and it is vital that their voice helps shape it alongside other members of the community.”A recruitment campaign will run across the summer and early autumn with the Healthwatch Norfolk team visiting schools, colleges, and community events to encourage new members to sign up. Antonia Hardcastle, lead governor, said: “Youth council members are crucial to this and can help us understand the issues, concerns, ideas, and views of the younger members of the communities cared for by the team here at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.“This will be a great experience for them. It is a springboard into further education, apprenticeships, or work. The experience and knowledge of the younger members can be useful.“For those already employed, it is also a way of giving back to the community, boosting skills, self-esteem, and teamwork, and giving an insight into the wide range of work that is done here.”Lorraine Gore, chief executive of the borough council, added: “It is really important and vital that we hear from young people their views and what they want. “They can ask the questions and for us to listen to those and then we can hopefully build better outcomes for everyone.”During the early autumn, the first 15 youth council members will be selected. They will then meet every six weeks and decide on their first areas to focus on.Youth council members will not get paid as this is a voluntary role, but they will be reimbursed for their travel and other expenses.Once people sign up, they will be sent a regular fortnightly newsletter with updates on the hospital’s work. Meetings will take place every six weeks in the early evening for around two hours. As well as the formal meeting where members will decide on their priorities, they will also spend time in various parts of the hospital meeting different people to discover and learn more about what happens to aid their work.Anyone interested in finding out more and signing up for regular updates can visit: www.teamqehyouth.co.ukThe Healthwatch Norfolk communications team will help to administer and run the meetings, assisting the youth council to identify the priorities they feel are important and investigate those further.