Youth Service receive royal recognition at prestigious awards
Our fantastic Derbyshire Children’s Hospital Youth Service have seen their commitment to supporting our young patients recognised with a prestigious national award.
The Youth Service play a key role aiding young people with long-term health conditions to feel empowered and to overcome some of the additional challenges that this can bring to their lives.
UHDB is therefore thrilled to have seen the service named among the winners at this year’s WellChild Awards, which will take place later this evening in London.
The team of health-based youth workers and volunteers will be presented with the ‘Health Team of the Year Award’ by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, while they will also get the chance to spend some time with the royals at a private reception.
Louise Melbourne, Senior Youth Worker, said: “It is really humbling to have been named alongside such an inspiring group of children and young people. We’re incredibly honoured and excited to win such a prestigious national award. To be recognised for such a major award is amazing and is testament to the hard work of the team and all of the outstanding young people we are privileged to work with. As qualified youth workers, we’re thrilled to be able to work with young people every day and are so passionate about supporting them to have a bright and happy future.”
Each week, the team runs a youth group to allow young people to meet others going through similar experiences to them, with the sessions helping patients to feel less isolated and have fun while managing their condition.
These patients are also invited to play a role in the Trust’s Youth Forum, which is organised by the Youth Service team and aims to empower young people to play a greater role in the care offered to them and others like them.
The Youth Forum is made up of young people, aged 11 to 18, who have spent time in our hospitals, with the group meeting each month to discuss the hospital services that are most important to them and the changes that they would like to see made.
WellChild is a charity that provides care for seriously ill children and young people, with the annual awards honouring some of the country’s most inspirational young people.