YOUNG faces looking to shape the future of healthcare in Basingstoke discovered what it takes to run a busy hospital.

Members of the Basingstoke Hospital Youth Forum visited various departments of Basingstoke hospital which are typically involved in a young person’s care to understand how each area works, and offer their thoughts on how Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust can ensure young people have the best possible experience.

As part of the day, the group had an interactive look around an operating theatre in the diagnosis and treatment centre.

They also got a chance to ‘scrub up’, practice their CPR skills and try their hand at inserting a breathing tube in a simulated patient.

Members of the forum also met members of the trust’s board of directors, including the chairman, Elizabeth Padmore, to share ideas and ask questions about how decisions are made every day that have a direct impact on patient experience.

Donna Green, chief nurse at Hampshire Hospitals, said: “The takeover day was a real success and all of the teams involved enjoyed showing our youth forum members what they do.

“Hearing directly from patients about what it is they would like to see happen at our hospitals is crucial in helping us to continually improve our services.

“It was wonderful to spend some time with members of the forum, hearing their ideas and answering their questions.”

The youth forum gives young people aged between 11 and 16 who have been treated at Basingstoke hospital the chance to shape the way children’s services are run.

This was the fourth time the group met and it is working with staff on ways to improve patient experience for young people at the hospital, including making the children’s ward quieter at night, revising the children’s ward menu and being involved in the recruitment process for new staff in the child health team.