East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust (ESHT) commissioned Young Healthwatch East Sussex (YHWES) to engage with young people (aged 11 to 19), living in foster care in East Sussex, to understand how ESHT could improve young people’s experiences of having a Review Health Assessment.

09/08/2023
By Healthwatch East Sussex
children and young people young healthwatch

What we did

Using a short survey which they developed in partnership with ESHT staff, YHWES gathered information from 19 young people living in foster care to gather their experiences of the Review Health Assessment.

Key Findings

  • Participants previous experiences of Review Health Assessments were generally positive, with young people expressing that they felt the process was ‘about them’ and centred around their needs.
  • Participants felt that their experiences of RHA’s would be improved if they had more control over where the review took place and who attended.
  • More could be done to inform young people in care of the reasoning behind the RHA’s and their right to decline being assessed.

We provided ESHT with 4 recommendations for improvement.

Tell Us Your Experiences 

Please tell us your experiences of local health and care services via our Feedback Centre and let us know how this has been for you. 

We want to hear if it has been good, bad or indifferent.

Help and support with Health and Care 

If you need help or support related to health or care, then please contact our Information & Signposting Service via 

0333 101 4007 or enquiries@healthwatcheastsussex.co.uk 

View the report

Click the link below to download the report


Healthwatch East Sussex - Children In Care: Experiences of Review Health Assessments - June 2023 Download File (pdf 172.62 KB)

Related Reports

Young Healthwatch’s Mystery Shopping of Mental Health Services in East Sussex

During December 2021, volunteers aged between 13 and 17 from our Young Healthwatch undertook a mystery shopping exercise in December 2021, looking at the East Sussex Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)  website through the lens of young patients seeking help for mental health concerns.

CAMHS is the name for the NHS services that assess and treat young people with emotional, behavioural or mental health difficulties.

This report provides their findings, as well as recommendations for service commissioners and providers.

children and young people Mental Health young healthwatch
Read More

Young People’s voices and views on the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme in East Sussex

Young Healthwatch have been talking to local young people across East Sussex about their views and experiences of the COVID-19 vaccination programme, developing key findings and linked recommendations for those co-ordinating and delivering these services locally.

children and young people COVID19 young healthwatch
Read More
Sign up to our mailing listKeep up-to-date with Healthwatch East Sussex and receive regular information on our activities and how you can have your say on local health and social care services

For detail on how we use your data please view our privacy policy here.