28.04.2023

Health Spot 3rd birthday event – a free GP for young people only in Tower Hamlets

Thank you to everyone in attendance, the event had an incredible turn out of youth workers and health professionals.

We’re grateful for the conversations and connections that were made. We believe that it is only in collaboration and relationships of trust with each other, as well as with our young people that we can continue to inform, shape and model the future of integrated care partnerships. In order to improve outcomes in population health and healthcare and tackle inequalities in experience and access.

Our speakers, team and partners shared the journey of Health Spot from planning stages to being fully operational 3 years on. We are proud that we have been able to deliver on our goal throughout– to meet young people where they are, where they are able to engage in a meaningful way, where they feel listened to, respected and valued, a place to belong and support to thrive and ultimately – offered hope.
Our panel was joined by experts of the Health Spot team and the young people who use Health Spot. The youth message was very clear! They trust us, it’s confidential and comfortable, they recommend it to their friends, and they don’t have to go through their family to access essential health care. And it was clear how having the support of a trusted youth worker has helped change lives for the better.

We had a glimpse into some of Dr Chard’s impactful research (including Tower Hamlets’ thematic review Troubled Lives, Tragic consequences) which highlighted the the needs of some of society’s most vulnerable children and the required system responses that are embodied in offers like Health Spot.

We also had the opportunity to hear from Dr Heather McMullen and Hannah Cottrell (QMUL), who have been working closely with Spotlight to carry out fieldwork research on the HEAL project.

2023 is set to be an exciting time of growth for Health Spot…
• We have welcomed a Speech and Language Therapist and a Social Prescriber who have recently been appointed as part of the team.
• We’ve expanded our service to a second location- we’re now up and running 2 evenings a week at Spotlight and Eastside youth centres.
• In addition, Spotlight runs whole range of health and wellbeing programmes; including Fit Club & Eat Club, and empowerment programmes including the Wellbeing Ambassadors and Young Health Champions.