Inspirational patients attend Evelina London youth conference

More than 30 young people shared their ideas on how care at Evelina London could be even better at the third annual Inspiring Youth Conference.

The conference, which was held on Thursday 16 August, saw current and former Evelina London patients, aged 8 to 20, contributing ideas on how young people can have an even better experience in hospital.

The ideas presented and discussed at the conference included, a special welcome pack for teenage patients, a project to involve patients in the creation of artwork and tips on how to get involved in fundraising.

Sara Hanna, Medical Director at Evelina London, said: “Evelina London looks after truly inspiring young people.  Some have been with us for years, even before birth through our fetal services. As they grow towards adulthood it’s increasingly important that the services we run also meet their needs.  It is a time of life after all that can be challenging even without a medical condition. Our youth conference is a great way of ensuring that we’re doing that.

“Young people are energetic, enthusiastic and full of great ideas so we need to take every opportunity to listen to them. The Youth Conference is also a celebration of their individual successes and it gives all the staff involved a great boost to see just how wonderful these young people are.”

Katie Braybrook, 15, from Romford in Essex, was one of the speakers. She discussed fundraising for Evelina London and being diagnosed with scoliosis. Katie said: “I really enjoyed speaking at the conference. I’m really passionate about supporting Evelina London so being able to work directly with the hospital to improve patient care really means a lot to me.”

As well as speaking at the conference, Katie has also designed two charity greeting cards to raise money for Evelina London after she successfully underwent surgery 18 months ago to straighten a curve in her spine.

The design, which was drawn in coloured pencils, has been used for both thank you cards and blank greeting cards.

In addition to designing the cards, Katie has raised £680 for the hospital by doing a sponsored haircut.

Katie said: “I’m always trying to think of new ways to help support Evelina London and designing a greeting card was another idea that I came up with. I like drawing and being creative, so developing the design was a lot of fun. I decided to incorporate the hospital’s logo and a snow leopard, as I was keen to use images that were recognisable and distinctive to the hospital.

“I love fundraising for Evelina London, it’s my way of saying thank you to the fantastic staff who looked after me. The care that I’ve received has been amazing, especially during my recovery from spinal surgery. The weeks immediately after the surgery were extremely tough. I couldn’t really move or do anything without support, but the doctors and nurses who looked after me were brilliant. I couldn’t have asked for better care.”