Youth Out Loud! Talks: Care access issues for young Disabled people
In 2024, Youth Out Loud (YOL!) reached out to the local community to understand care access issues for young Disabled people. This engagement helped inform and produce a series of podcasts on the experiences of young Disabled people and their access to NHS and social care services.
Who are Youth Out Loud!
Youth Out Loud! (YOL!) is a group of young people dedicated to improving local health and social care services. They work with Healthwatch Kingston and use their voices to advocate for better health and care services for young people.
YOL! created assets as part of a digital youth project to highlight services and support available to young people. These films include ‘How to be a good friend to someone who is self-harming’, ‘Sexual health’ and ‘Bereavement and grief’.
Supported by Healthwatch Kingston, YOL! created a short survey, which was available online and distributed to local SEND schools and colleges. They received 27 responses to the survey, gathering a richer understanding of the issues young Disabled people face within our NHS and social care services.
YOL! also interviewed three parents of Disabled children and one young person. These interviews were turned into podcasts to provide firsthand insight into the challenges they face.
YOL! heard some good experiences from local people such as “My dentist is good, I stay in my wheelchair and that really helps” and “My GP service has always gone above and beyond for my son.”
YOL! also heard about some of the difficulties young people have faced.
In particular, accessing specialist services, the transition from children’s to adult services, recruiting carers, what it’s like having a ‘temporary disability’, the difficulty in receiving a diagnosis as well as what it means to receive a diagnosis and more.
This series of interviews, produced by Healthwatch Kingston contains the views and opinions of local residents about care access issues for young Disabled people, and should not be considered the official position of Healthwatch Kingston.
If you would like to talk to us about anything discussed in this series, please get in touch by emailing info@healthwatchkingston.org.uk.
Listen to the YOL! podcast
Youth Out Loud! (YOL!) discuss the key learnings from interviews and surveys completed with young people and the parents of young Disbaled people; and what it is like to access NHS and social care services.
Interview 1: The gap between children and adult services
YOL! spoke to a young person diagnosed with hereditary spastic paraplegia and ataxia, here they explain about accessing specialist services, issues with dual diagnosis and transitioning from children to adult services and what it’s like to not be able to communicate using the full name of their disability.
Interview 2: What does it mean to have an intermittent disability?
YOL! met a parent whose son was born with club feet. They need regular operations, which leave them needing support for a brief period of time after each operation, but unable to access carers or help with parking.
Interview 3: Navigating the diagnosis process
YOL! spoke with a parent about the diagnosis process they went through, getting to appointments with other family members and how the diagnosis of their daughter affects other parts of their life.
Subscribe to YOL! Talks on Spotify
We'll update this page every week with new interviews from our series, but to make sure you never miss an upload, subscribe to Youth Out Loud! Talks on Spotify and listen wherever you are.
Pulse Check and Easy Read reports
There is a YOL! Pulse Check Report produced from the findings of the survey, that included recommendations to be shared with services providers and decision makers in Kingston. Alongside an Easy Read report which focuses on the key details of our findings in plain English.
Find out more
For further information, about this engagement or to find out more on how to become a YOL! member or Healthwatch Kingston volunteers please contact Scott Bacon
Email: scott@healthwatchkingston.org.uk
Telephone: 07421 071820
