NHS Arden & GEM National Referral Support Service

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How are we doing?

We are always asking young people and parents about their experiences with us, so that we can continue to improve our services. You can see the latest comments below, along with figures from our questionnaires. 

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Young people said:

“This service really helped me grow as a person. I learnt how to love myself again and just be myself.”

“My counsellors were the best part, and I feel I got the help I needed.”

“The sessions I had were incredibly thorough and helpful.”

“The psychologists that I worked with always took me completely seriously and were constructive with their work.”

“The rooms are comfy and I like the space. The staff are very kind and easy to talk to for a lengthy time.”

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Parents said:

“Just extremely grateful that the service is there and you’re not alone on your journey.”

“It is obviously that people are well-trained in dealing with young people at Tavistock. I was always quite surprised they could get my child to open up and express their feelings.”

“Feeling accepted – listened to. Whole family approach.”

“Our clinician was very kind and patient. They waited a long time for [our child] to answer questions about how he felt. That was great as [our child] finds it hard to express his feelings. Appointments ran to time which helps with travel arrangements. Our clinicians answered all our queries quickly.”

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The numbers:

92% of young people say that overall, the help I have received here is good.

92% of parents say that overall, the help I have received here is good.

 

92% of young people feel that our staff who saw them listened to them.

92% of parents feel that our staff who saw them listened to them.

 

92% of young people said it was either certainly or partly true that it was easy to talk to people who saw me.

100% of parents said it was either certainly or partly true that it was easy to talk to people who have seen my child.

 

88% of young people said they were treated well by the people who saw them.

92% of parents said they were treated well by the people who saw their child.

 

88% of young people said their views and worries were taken seriously.

88% of parents said their views and worries were taken seriously.

 

92% of young people said that if a friend needed similar help I would recommend that they come here.

96% of parents said that if a friend needed similar help I would recommend that they come here.

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You said, we did…

  • More services in major cities needed – we are working to increase our coverage by establishing more outreach clinics, and increasing our presence
  • Have music playing in the waiting room – we now have a radio, reading and drawing materials for younger patients/siblings, colouring, puzzles, pens and a better selection of magazines in the waiting room.
  • Offer tea and biscuits while waiting to be seen – sadly there isn’t space for a tea-making station in the waiting room. We have now added signs to the nearest coffee, tea, and snack vending machines.
  •  “The terminology can be uncomfortable – such as ‘biological sex’ as opposed to ‘assigned gender’” – preferred terms change over time and different young people who come to our service have different preferences for the language we use. We do our best to use the language that you prefer. If you are uncomfortable with any term please let your clinician know.
  •  “’Sometimes I felt like they thought I wasn’t serious about things” – the starting point of all our work with you is acceptance and respect for your gender identity.
  • “I found that the processes between initial referrals, diagnosis and secondary referral to UCLH long and anxiety-riddled due to the wait.” – we know that it can seem like a slow process. We are working hard to see everyone as quickly as possible and to keep things moving. We also believe that all of the steps along the way are vitally important parts of the process.

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