YOUNG people who have made a significant contribution to a project to ensure health services are geared towards their needs are to showcase their work at a national conference.

YOUNG people who have made a significant contribution to a project to ensure health services are geared towards their needs are to showcase their work at a national conference.

The group of four, aged between 15 and 17, will travel to Leicester in October to speak about their work with NHS Great Yarmouth and Waveney on the You're Welcome project.

The Department of Health initiative has been designed to ensure health services are young people friendly, take account of their needs and offer an appropriate service.

In Yarmouth and Waveney, a successful pilot project saw young people working with the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS).

After completing interviews and making observations while visiting CAMHS, they made recommendations designed to further improve the service offered to young people.

This included providing reading material for young people in waiting rooms and ensuring clinicians holding consultations speak to their young patients rather than their parents.

To achieve You're Welcome status, organisations must demonstrate they meet a range of criteria.

A panel made up of health professionals and trained young assessors review the application before giving advice and support on areas where improvements could be made.

After the recommendations have been followed, the application will be reviewed for a second time by the local You're Welcome panel before it is passed to the Department of Health for final approval.

Commissioning manager for children and maternity with NHS GYW Elaine Mash said: “We would like to thank everyone who has helped make this pilot project such a fantastic success.

“The scheme is really important because it gives young people a voice and empowers them to have their say and make a difference. “We've been really fortunate as the group we've been working with have really embraced the whole project.

“They have worked really well with us and provided us with valuable feedback. In return they feel they are being listened to and their views are being taken into account.”