The three-day Insight Week, running from Monday 27 April to Wednesday 29 April, is the result of work led by The QEH Youth Council.
Members have used their own insights and lived experience to shape what meaningful work experience should look like for young people considering a future in health and social care.
Working alongside The QEH Education Faculty and Learning and Development Team, Youth Council members co-designed the programme to ensure it is engaging, practical and relevant.
Students from University Academy Holbeach studying BTEC Level 3 Health and Social Care will take part in a wide range of interactive sessions. These include careers and employability sessions, guided hospital tours, clinical skills simulation, a deteriorating patient escape room, introductions to job roles and uniforms, a communication skills workshop, and infection prevention and control training using the hand-hygiene lightbox.
Youth Council members will also play an active role in delivering the Insight Week, supporting sessions throughout and helping students feel confident to ask questions and fully engage with the experience.
Libby Furnell, a Youth Council member, said:
“I am so excited to be part of The QEH Youth Council. The Insight Week is a great opportunity for young people to learn what actually happens behind the scenes at their local hospital. I did work experience at The QEH when I was in college, so this hospital has always meant a lot to me and has opened so many doors for my future. Being able to give other young people the chance to experience what I did means so much to all of us on the Youth Council.”
Carrieanne Davies, QEH Learning and Development Facilitator, added:
“The Youth Council has been absolutely instrumental in this project. Our members have been confident in voicing their views on opportunities for young people, and how we as a Trust can think outside the box and do something different. The Education Faculty has worked hard to bring their ideas to life, and I am excited to see how this programme develops.”
The QEH Youth Council was the first of its kind in healthcare in Norfolk. It was established to ensure that young people aged 16 to 25 have a genuine voice, and that their views are heard by Trust leaders and the Council of Governors. This Insight Week represents a tangible outcome of that commitment to youth-led co-production.
William Van’t Hoff, Non-Executive Director at Norfolk and Waveney University Hospitals Group, who was instrumental in establishing the Youth Council during his time as a QEH Non-Executive Director, said:
“When we first set up the Youth Council at The QEH, the ambition was to give young people a real voice and the opportunity to shape how the NHS engages with them.
“This Insight Week is a powerful example of that in action – a project led by young people, shaped by their experiences and insights, and focused on inspiring the next generation of NHS staff.”
The pilot Insight Week forms part of The QEH’s wider commitment to developing local talent, strengthening links with education providers, and showcasing the breadth of careers available across the NHS, both clinical and non-clinical.
Anyone interested in finding out more about the Youth Council can email youth.council@qehkl.nhs.uk or visit the dedicated page on the QEH website Youth Council or watch the promotional video on YouTube.
Ends. Notes to editors; For media enquiries only, please contact Communications Team, media.enquiries@qehkl.nhs.uk or 01553 613216. For all other enquiries, please contact QEH Switchboard on 01553 613613.
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