There are many conversations about age, development and capacity happening at the moment – from voting at 16 to brain development continuing to our mid 20s and beyond. The fact remains, however, that the gap between child and adult health services persists with many young people falling through the gaps. In this blog Scarlett one of our Young Ambassadors shares her views on the issues setting out how young adult care is often forgotten and that at the centre of what is important is compassion and kindness.
Hello I am Scarlett and I have been a member of the AYPH Youth Advisory Panel since February 2025. I am really passionate about this subject as someone who has spent a lot of time in health services. I really want to advocate for people like me, to get them the help they require.
Health and social care services were designed to have quite a sharp divide between “child” and “adult” care. The age group that falls through the gaps are in my opinion the most important as they’re very vulnerable because no one is helping them anymore and they haven’t been taught how to tackle the health care system on their own. I know when I was 16-18 I didn’t have a clue on how to order my medication or when I should order them so I had enough and didn’t get stuck without meds.
At 16, you’re in this strange in-between. You can’t drink, you can’t smoke, you can’t even drive — and you’re legally required to stay in education until you’re 18. Yet in the healthcare system, you’re suddenly treated as an adult, expected to make life-shaping decisions about your own care. The rules don’t seem to line up, and it raises a bigger question: when do we really become ‘adult’ in the eyes of society?
When surveyed, nearly 70 percent of families reported inadequate and deficient experiences of transitioning from children’s to adult services as their child approached adulthood. The responses revealed that this vulnerable and commonly overlooked group of young people were rarely consulted and often left with little or no information about ongoing health support or who to turn to for help. Nearly 60 per cent felt the planning process for transition started too late, leaving more than half of young people completely unprepared and others reporting there was no formal or structured process in place (WellChild, 2023).
When I was in paediatric care I felt seen, safe and sometimes even loved from the way the nurses made you feel. I remember once I had a bad reaction to an anti sickness drug and my head felt weird, I kinda felt like I was flying and my mum wasn’t there to calm me down so a really kind nurse sat with me, held my hand and spoke to me until the feeling subsided. In adult services it’s different but just because you’re a few years older it doesn’t mean you don’t want or need someone to come and hold your hand when you’re scared.
Author: Scarlett, AYPH Young Ambassador
December 2025
The AYPH Young Advisory Panel is made up of Young Ambassadors from across the UK who give their views and opinions on many different health issues and are a central part of AYPH’s Governance.