Merton Youth (MY) Health: Comparison of GP practice's self-assessment and young person's survey (aged 16-25) to assess how well a GP practice met the needs of young people
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Authors
Luke Squires
Rachel Tilford
Hilina Asrress
Helen Raison
Anna Huk
Contact
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Issue Date
06-May-26
Type
Conference Abstract
Language
Keywords
Neighbourhood health & place-based working , Working with people and communities
Alternative Title
Abstract
Background Merton's Public Health Young Inspectors, aged between 17 and 24 years old, inspect young people's services and highlight the voice of young residents. They led on a pilot project to assess how well a GP practice met the needs of young people. This work aligns with the NHS 10-year plan which requires services to be shaped by the communities they serve and the National Youth Strategy that recommends strengthening youth voice in services.
Objectives To compare a GP practice's self-assessment with young people's reported experiences, test the feasibility of the approach, and develop recommendations for the GP practice and roll out of the pilot approach.
Methods The GP Practice completed a self-assessment across eight domains including: making young people welcome; involving young people; equality and diversity; confidentiality and consent. A survey for young people aged 16-25 years old registered with the practice, was distributed via SMS, yielding 39 responses. Quantitative and qualitative feedback from young people was compared with the GP Practice self-assessment.
Results The GP's overall self-assessment was 71.67% with high ratings for making young people feel welcome, equality and diversity, confidentiality and consent. The practice rated itself lower on transitions, signposting, and involving young people.
82.1% (32/39) of young people felt treated with dignity and that their right to confidentiality was respected. 73.7% (28/38) said staff clearly explained their right to attend appointments independently. Only 36.1% (13/36) said they always felt involved in care decisions and 47.4% (18/38) were unaware how their health information is shared or accessed. 60.6% (20/33) of the respondents preferred booking appointments online but reported issues with the digital platforms. Qualitative feedback highlighted a need for clearer communication, more youth-friendly materials, and after-school appointments.
Discussion and learning for the wider community
Key points for consideration from the findings are the difference between the GP self-assessment and the young people's feedback across two domains and for example a disconnect between the GP self-assessment and young people's feedback on appointment availability.
39 survey responses was less than we would have liked but they provided useful insights when compared with the GP self-assessment. We are currently agreeing the recommendations but based on this feasibility test, with amendments, we believe this
is an approach that could be adopted more widely to further GP practices or other healthcare services for young people.