Researcher Lauren Herlitz and theatre maker James Baldwin talked to 14 young people in care or who are care leavers about their experiences of seeing doctors. The frank conversation covers trust in doctors, opening-up about mental health, the effects of trauma, and being judged by healthcare professionals. Lauren and James invited two experts in child health, Dr. Claire Agathou and Prof. Monica Lakhanpaul, to respond to young people's views. They talk about young people’s difficulties in accessing healthcare and why some doctors find it hard to start conversations about mental health or trauma.
The conversations were recorded in person with young people, aged 13-22 years, in Nov 2022 and Apr 2023, and online with health experts in Sept 2023.
This podcast was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) through the Children and Families Policy Research Unit. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.