Daniel Parkinson, Ozzy King and Amelia Ashton
Wellbeing passports are being issued to youngsters going through children’s health services to improve their experience of care.
The passports were set up by Blackpool Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, (CAHMS) in partnership with Lancashire Mind, a charity who support mental health improvements and service users across Lancashire.
Zoe Roscoe, Assistant Psychologist at Blackpool CAHMS, assisted the project and has seen it now come to life.
She said: “This project has been set up from the feedback we were given by the youth group, Entwined Minds, ambassadors.
“They told us they didn’t like having to explain their story to many professionals and it would aid communication by having a book to give to different services with all their details and information included.
“They decided to have passports like health passports which contain medical information and bracelets similar.
“The passports include emergency contacts, information about the individual; such as medication, challenges, support they are receiving and self- care methods they have.
“Young people receive the passports during their CAHMS appointment and the idea is for them to show this to other professionals when they are in other services, such as the hospital wards or school.
“Professionals are able to write additional information in the passport too to update certain sections.
“The passports are also important for when the young people transition into adult services. They won’t have to go over information and tell their story again as the passports are there to do this.
“They are very individualised and help to put the patient at the centre of their care. It also helps massively when building relationships.”
One of the young people involved in the project, 15-year-old Ozzy King, added: “The passports are a great idea and really help to empress emotions.
“They are very informative and you could literally give it to anyone and they would understand it.”
Holly Mannion, Community Development Lead for Lancashire Mind said: “The Wellbeing Passport is a resource created by, and for, the young people of Lancashire and South Cumbria.
“It is a really important tool for young people to use in emergencies, or at times when they want others to know about their emotional health, such as at school or college.
“Lancashire Mind is extremely proud to have been a part of the development of The Wellbeing Passports. We have worked collaboratively with many inspiring young people, supportive families and passionate professionals, enabling their voices to be heard and we are really excited about launching this fantastic resource.”
A webpage has also been created where any young person can download their own copy of The Wellbeing Passport – www.wellbeingpassport.org.uk