Are GP services accessible to young people?

Healthwatch Lancashire have been engaging more widely with young people to investigate their experiences of health and social care and ensuring that their voices are heard. Healthwatch ran a range of pop-up events at colleges and youth zones across the county, to understand what young people’s priorities were and where they needed the most support and information to inform our engagement plan.

Access to GP appointments was the most common issue raised and so we set up a three month engagement plan to engage with young people to uncover the issues faced within GP services as well as highlighting good practice.

During July to August, we engaged with 60 young people through a focus group and two pop-up events in Chorley and Lancaster.

Most of the young people we spoke to did not make their own GP appointments: their parents or carers made the appointments on their behalf, so they didn’t have a lot of experience in the process of making appointments.

However, for those who did make their own appointments, the feedback was generally that it was difficult to get a GP appointment.

Not many young people used the online platform to make appointments, with a large number of young people in our focus group not even knowing about the option. One person described how difficult they found it to get started with the online platform and shared that they gave up trying.

General feedback in the Lancaster area was that once young people were able to get a GP appointment, they were very pleased with the service. We had lots of compliments about medical practices in Lancaster and their services.

In Leyland and Chorley though, the young people we spoke to were not as satisfied with their GP service. Some people felt that they were not listened to by their GP when they had an appointment. Some commented that they felt rushed, or that their needs (due to Autism or ADHD) were not taken into account during the appointment, or during the referral process. A few young people told us that they felt their GP would blame every problem on their mental health, with one person telling us that their GP blamed their anxiety on the fact that they were gay. This particular young person decided not to go back to that GP.

“I feel like my GP always jumps to conclusions and blames everything on my mental health.”

The main theme of all of the feedback was that young people want to feel listened to, and would like their needs taken into account during appointments – especially those with Autism or ADHD.

“I don’t feel my doctor listens to me but listen so my mum instead, it would be nice if he spoke to me.”

However, we had lots of positive feedback about the service once they manage to secure an appointment, with young people being pleased that there are both telephone / video and in person appointments available.

We had very positive comments about the service at Lancaster Royal Infirmary – specifically about the Hearing Centre, the Womens Centre and the Accident & Emergency department. Young people were pleased at the short waiting time and the support they received.

Some other issues that young people have spoken to us about include:

The difficulties for young wheelchair users in getting new suitable wheelchairs when needed. The waiting time for wheelchair services re-assessment is long, and some young people feel let down at having to pay privately for suitable equipment.

The long wait times for referrals. Young people have told us that this is especially difficult around referrals for mental health support, and any support around neurodiversity.

“I felt dismissed by CAMHS. They don’t give support or any information about ADHD. All I get are physical checks and medication.”

“I have lost faith in the system. I don’t feel like CAMHS are doing anything to support me.”

Overall, it appears that there are inconsistencies within GP access for young people across Lancashire and accessing GP appointments can be difficult. This is in line with feedback Healthwatch has gathered from the general public in Lancashire. During these engagements, Healthwatch ensured to signpost young people to appropriate support and provide information on how they can book appointments.

Engagement during this period also highlighted the challenges of accessing mental health support. We have recently published our latest report ‘Waiting for Wellness’ which investigates mental health and the accessibility of mental health services in Lancashire and the findings of that project also highlight negative experiences in young people.

As a result, Healthwatch Lancashire will be exploring mental health in young people as part of a second phase to our Waiting for Wellness project, as well as gathering feedback from parents and/or carers about their experiences. We are also working with NSPCC to produce campaigns to raise awareness of available support for young people.

If you have feedback you would like to share with us about your mental health, please contact us on 01524 239100 or email us on info@healthwatchlancashire.co.uk.