Imperial students debate the future of public health at the Business School

The need for a fairer, more sustainable and innovative NHS was highlighted at a Youth Health Parliament session at the Business School yesterday.

Imperial students, alumni and young health professionals had gathered for the second plenary session of the Youth Health Parliament, an idea-generating platform of 50 young professionals and students who want to shape the future of the healthcare system in the UK.

Participants were encouraged to debate key issues including getting better value for money from the NHS, mental health services and opportunities posed by emerging technologies and digital media. The feedback will feed into recommendations for a set of ‘whitepapers’ to be shared with policy makers.

The day began with a presentation by the sub-committee group chairs of the Youth Health Parliament asking what kind of healthcare system young people want. They outlined the findings of an online survey of young British adults about their views on the future of the UK healthcare system, identifying three priority areas: value based healthcare, patient rights and preventative medicine.

The research showed that getting value for money and ensuring everyone gets fair access to high quality care is a key concern to young people. Patient self-management, where people can take better control over their own health was another important issue, highlighted in the surveys. The speakers also stressed the importance of social media as a powerful tool that young people should use to get their views on the NHS noticed.

The need to improve mental health services was a major priority for several participants. The next presentation compared the availability and quality of mental health services throughout Europe. In the UK, people can access free psychotherapy on the NHS, but waiting lists for treatment are too long. However, people in the UK are more open to talking about mental health, helped by the growing number of charities and support groups who aim to tackle the stigma surrounding the topic.

Being heard in Europe

Magda Kalata, the 2015 President of the European Health Parliament, a platform that represents the views of young European healthcare professionals, spoke of the challenges of ensuring young people’s views on health issues are heard in Brussels. Advising researchers on how best to engage with policy-makers she said: “Understand what direction the European Health Parliament is going in and identify any gaps where your research could meet an important need. Always horizon scan for opportunities to promote your work, either through setting up meetings with policy-makers or by reaching out to journalists and promoting your work on social media.”

Reflecting on the event, Shyam Gokani, an Imperial College medical student who is studying for an IBSc Management at the Business School said: “It was a great platform to share ideas and learn more about the process for considering policy in healthcare. I picked up some practical tips from the speakers that will help me in my future career in medicine.”

Imperial alumnus Shelby Sydnor, a graduate from the MSc International Health Management programme, who works for Janssen, a pharmaceutical company owned by Johnson & Johnson said: “It was a great opportunity to connect with other young people and get new perspectives on key issues that affect all of us. My job involves working with emerging technologies such as haeomatological interventions, so I found the sessions on new technology to be really useful.”

Dr Benita Cox, Programme Director for the MSc International Health Management at Imperial College Business School said: “This event was an ideal opportunity for young people who are studying or working within the health industry to voice their opinions on health issues that affect their future.”