• Are your services ‘young people friendly’?
• Do you involve young people in service improvement?
• Do you give young people the opportunity to share in decisions about their care and the services available to them?

Originally published in 2007, but now updated for 2011: ‘You’re Welcome’: Quality criteria for young people friendly health services (PDF) aims to help commissioners and providers improve NHS and non-NHS health services for young people.

Here’s the blurb from the DH website:

The quality criteria provide good practice guidance that is based on local practice and evidence of what will improve patient experience and health outcomes for young people.

Use of the quality criteria also helps to encourage young people to share in decisions about their health and to increase effective use of NHS and public health services.

The criteria are all about making sure that health services work for young people.  They cover ten key areas:

1. accessibility
2. publicity
3. confidentiality and consent
4. environment
5. staff training, skills, attitudes and values
6. joined-up working
7. young people’s involvement in monitoring and evaluation of patient experience
8. health issues for young people
9. sexual and reproductive health services
10. specialist child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS)

The new self review tool is an Excel spreadsheet that helps commissioners and providers to assess and accredite their service.