As a 16 year old myself who regularly gets admitted to hospital, I have had mixed experiences with nhs wards. When I turned 16 things started getting more difficult.

Many hospitals and trusts insist that once aged 16 you are strictly to be nursed on an adult ward. I don’t think people realise how stressful these places can be for teenagers.

Yet, also at age 16, you are made to attend full time education, which is something an adult ward can’t attend to. Currently, in my GCSE year, I am missing out of education. I’ve had to repeat the year almost twice

This means many young people end up missing out on their crucial GCSE and A- level years.

Many people assume 16, 17 & 18 year olds are old and capable enough to “deal with it”. But in reality it’s an EXTREMELY stressful environment to be in. 

Your parents can visit for up to two hours a day at a maximum, while you spend the day in a bay with a drug addict causing a scene in front of you while an alcoholic is taking up the nurses time. It’s depressing and lonely. 

Quoted from a mother of an 18 year old adolescent-

~ “Recently, I witnessed my 18-year old son recover from an operation in an adult urology department in a Scottish hospital. Waking up from the trauma, he was confronted with a ward of elderly male patients in various states of critical illness. For a young person who had never experienced an environment like this, the situation was intolerable and met with a plea to ‘get me out of here’.”

Chidrens wards have facilities for teenagers and are, in my opinion, a far more preferable place to be.

For example- recently I was admitted to our local hospital for a life threatening condition called sepsis (I was admitted to the children’s ward 3 weeks prior). 

I had gone into the “transitional age” only 3 days earlier (!!) so was made to be on the adult ward. I was in tears, being surrounded by frale and elderly people, while I was made to sit on a hard chair for over two hours while they found a bed. - (The children’s ward know me and I’m considered a ‘regular’ so being switched to an adult environmental so suddenly really startled me).

We were told they were looking for a bed on the adult ward. We ended up leaving against medical advice all because I was being made to go on a ward inappropriate for my age..

The consultant was fully on our side, sharing there should be teenage wards. But thats not what I’m asking... I’m asking for the CHOICE. Legally we are still children so why are we being forced onto adult wards? I’ve had an experience in which a nurse harshly stated that ‘16 is an adult’...

“A child can be harmed emotionally, physically, sexually or through neglect of their basic needs.” Simplified from an online safeguarding source. I believe that this statement contradicts what the nhs have put in to place for children between the ages of 16-18. I believe ignoring our mental health needs within a medical setting poses a form of neglect upon the child. Taking away our rights to a choice of being with young people our own age can be detrimental to the child’s mental wellbeing.

There is little to no developmental difference between a 15 and 16 year old, but an astounding one between a 16 and 65 year old. 

Taken from the Children’s charity - “Teenagers aged 16 and 17 who live in England are more likely to be abused or neglected than any other age group, but are given the least protection, according to our new analysis.” “Despite being most at risk of cruelty and neglect, 16 and 17-year-olds are not given the same legal protection as younger children. Existing child cruelty laws allow prosecutions to be brought for neglect, ill treatment and abandonment but only until the child is aged 15.” 

Now how does that add up?..

 

Sadly in adult wards, it’s a common sight for people to pass away, something  again I don’t feel we should be exposed to.  It can affect our emotional health (which society claim to care about) having a direct impact in which will not help our recovery. This inappropriate exposure comes under basic child protection needs dedicated to any child, including those over 15.

I understand some 16-18 year olds are okay with being on adult wards, but for some of us, many with chronic illnesses, it’s stressful. Many of us have missed out on a lot of our childhood and often don’t really hold the mentality to be in those situations.

I’m also aware some hospitals do offer the choice. But too many don’t. Please.. give us the choice. 

I understand that aged 18 is legally just an adult, but entering young adulthood is stressful enough, and if the 18 year old is attending school still then I believe they should be included in my petition (in full time education) as just like 16 and 17 year olds, they are still teenagers.

sorry for the rambling-  but then again it’s our rights.

"There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way it treats its children."