The Services for Young People Hospital Youth Workers provide support for young people and young adults in Lister and Watford Hospitals as well as community healthcare settings across Hertfordshire.
Healthcare professionals or the young people and their families can request a visit from a Hospital Youth Worker. Together they will identify what support they need with issues that may be affecting their physical or mental health, both during their hospital stay and beyond. This can include one-to-one or group sessions discussing emotional health and wellbeing, dealing with schoolwork or exam stress and relationships.
Meet two of our Hospital Youth Workers, Jenny and Joanna
Jenny
Jenny works with young people aged 11-21 who are referred to the project needing support with social and emotional wellbeing and any issues that may be affecting their physical or mental health. Jenny works at the Lister Hospital two days a week supporting young people who are inpatients.
Joanna
Joanna is the Services for Young People (SfYP) contact for the West Herts Hospitals NHS Trust and works closely with the safeguarding team at Watford General Hospital. Joanna also supports young people in Hemel Hempstead Hospital, St Albans City Hospital and the local community on a one-to-one basis, signposting them to local services and SfYP projects for young people.
Want to request a visit?
Professionals working with young people, parents/carers and young people themselves can request a visit from a Hospital Youth Worker. Contact us at:
Lister Hospital
- Email hospitalyouthwork.lister@hertfordshire.gov.uk
- Text: 07860 058827 or
- Complete a Hospital youth work referral form for East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust
Watford Hospital
- Email: hospitalyouthwork.watford@hertfordshire.gov.uk
- Text: 07860 058820 or
- Complete a Hospital youth work referral form for West Hertfordshire NHS Trust
Alternatively, fill out the form below and a member of the team will be in touch.
We ask for this information so we can contact you.
To find out how we look after your personal data please read our Data Protection information.
Results of our hospital youth work evaluation survey
- 90% of young people who completed the survey feel more aware of ways to improve their emotional wellbeing
- 94% of young people would recommend the project to someone else
- 77% feel that the project equipped them with skills and knowledge to make decisions about their care or treatment
- 79% felt more aware of risks and more likely to make positive choices
Feedback from some of the young people who have used this service
- "I like that it’s not medical support and I’m an expert in my own condition."
- “I am starting to feel much more accepted and listened to due to the sessions with Joanna and this has helped me feel a lot happier recently”
- “I like working with Joanna, she makes me feel listened to and we can talk about what is going on. She tries to help me and comes up with ideas and suggestions that might work, and she tries to be creative to help me with other solutions if things aren’t working out”
- “After working with Jenny and the team, I have been sent to a SfYP provision in my area where I can meet other people like me and make new friends, I like that I was supported from 1-2-1 to group work”
- “Jenny supported me whilst waiting for CAMHS, she did weekly check in calls and made it fun, we could talk about anything and sometimes I just needed that to take my mind off of everything. I'm now with CAMHS and getting the help I need but jenny still texts now and again to see how I am”
Feedback from parents and professionals
- “I would like to share that Jennifer has been absolutely amazing with both myself, but more importantly, with my daughter! Jenny has shown that she is empathetic and compassionate, understanding, child/person focussed and is able to advocate and support where and when necessary. Jenny has gone over and above!
- I am truly grateful to Jenny and the work she is doing for my daughter and us as a family! I can’t thank her enough!”
- “Jenny worked with my son and got all the right people round the table to talk about my son’s needs, now he has the right support and is happy. She was amazing, and I am so thankful for her and the work she put in, this is my second time with HYW and it has been such a good experience”
Read our Hospital Youth Work Report
Hospital Youth Work Report - January 2022
Follow the Hospital Youth Work Team on Twitter and Instagram.
