Herts projects invites young people and organisations in Redbridge to help improve health and care

The University of Hertfordshire has joined with Community Action Redbridge and NHS North East London to launch a 14-month research project aiming to get young people actively involved in local health and care planning so that decisions are centred around their experiences and priorities.

The project has secured nearly £150,000 in funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

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.

NHS North East London is hosting the project, with Community Action Redbridge leading for the involvement of young people and engagement of local statutory and voluntary sector organisations. The University of Hertfordshire is leading the research and evaluation.

Dr Louca-Mai Brady, Reader in Youth Involvement and Health at Herts, 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”.

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.”

Jenny Ellis, Chief Executive Officer, Community Action Redbridge, said: “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.”

Herts’ project team is based in the Centre for Research in Public Health and Community Care (CRIPACC), an internationally renowned multidisciplinary research centre focused on producing research that makes a difference to people’s lives by improving the quality of health and social care services and promoting health and wellbeing.

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 or visit the project’s webpage on the NIHR ARC East of England website.

The 14-month project (known as PANELS for participation  of under-served young people in North East London health and wellbeing services) is funded via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) under its Programme Grants for Applied Research, and supported by  the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration East of England (project IIR25). The views expressed are those of the authors not necessarily those of the NIHR or DHSC.

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