Building Us in from the Beginning: A Novel Youth Co-Research Project Examining How Young People in Cumbria Can Influence and Shape Future Healthcare Experiences through Meaningful Co-Design
Professor of Digital and Social Sciences, University of Cumbria
Principal Lecturer, Psychology and Psychological Therapies, University of Cumbria
Youth Co-researchers and Youth Co-researcher Enabler
Clinical Director, Carlisle Healthcare Primary Care Network Lead, NHS
Building Us In from the Beginning is a novel Youth Co-Research project examining how young people in Cumbria can influence and shape future healthcare experiences through meaningful co-design.
Children and young people make up a third of the population, and their early experiences of healthcare shape how they engage with it throughout their lives. National and local reports highlight both challenges and opportunities for improving healthcare, including through building trust and better communication with young people.
We are a youth co-research collective, bringing together young people, youth workers, healthcare professionals, and academics. Together, we aim to understand how communication between young people and healthcare providers affects access, confidence, and health outcomes. By exploring what supports or hinders meaningful engagement, we hope to inform more youth-led, person-centred, and locally responsive approaches to healthcare, including developing a set of communication principles for medical education, alongside the first cohort of medical students at the Pears Cumbria School of Medicine.