Young Voices at the Heart of Recruitment with the launch of the Youth Recruitment Panel
University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust (UHP) is proud to announce the successful launch of its first-ever Youth Recruitment Panel, a pioneering pilot project designed to embed the voices of young people into the heart of recruitment processes.
This initiative marks a significant step in UHP’s commitment to inclusivity, innovation, and shaping a future-focused healthcare service. By involving young people directly in the recruitment of staff, the Trust is not only valuing lived experience but also encouraging future generations to play a meaningful role in how care is delivered.
As part of the pilot, a group of young individuals were invited to take part in staff interview panels. Every participant reported feeling well-prepared for the process, supported, and respected. One young panel member said: “It helped me communicate well and build on giving constructive criticism,” highlighting the valuable skills they gained from the experience.
Beyond skill development, participants expressed a strong sense of responsibility and connection to the services being shaped. Another young person explained: “Young people are very important, as they are the ones being treated by staff and involved in difficult conversations. They need to feel comfortable and trust the staff, I felt as though I can make an impact for children going through a tough experience and help create a trusted, compassionate workforce.”
All young people involved said they would recommend the opportunity to others, reinforcing how empowering and worthwhile they found the process.
For managers, the Youth Panel brought a refreshing and insightful perspective. Following the process, both managers stated they would like to see youth panels become a standard part of recruitment at UHP.
Dr George Davis, Clinical Psychologist Children’s Psychological Health and Wellbeing Team Lead at UHP’s Child Development Centre, said: “I have wanted to introduce a youth panel for paediatric recruitment for years to ensure we recruit staff who can build strong relationships with young people and to show candidates how much we value service user voices.
“The creation of the Young Person’s Patient Council gave me the motivation to make it happen. With brilliant support from Scarlett
Sterne from the Recruitment team and the guidance of the Young Person’s Patient Council, we were ready to interview our first candidate. I was blown away by how engaged the young people were, from shaping questions to scoring candidates. This has strengthened my resolve to make youth panels a standard part of paediatric recruitment at UHP.”
From the candidates’ perspective, the panel added meaningful value to the recruitment experience. One applicant shared: “It was insightful getting to actually interface with the actual group or individuals that we work for.”
Candidates were particularly impressed by the calibre of the young people involved, praising their confidence, intelligence and professionalism. One described the experience as “empowering,” saying: “The most positive aspect was the opportunity to connect with passionate young individuals and share ideas in a supportive environment. It was empowering to see our voices genuinely valued and considered.”
Rebecca Baines, Patient Experience and Engagement Lead at UHP has said: “It’s been incredibly powerful to see young people meaningfully involved in recruitment panels, helping to shape decisions that directly impact their care and experience. Their insights bring fresh perspectives, thoughtful challenge, and a real sense of purpose — showing just how valuable youth voices are in healthcare. Huge credit to the teams involved who made this happen, and a heartfelt thank you to Dr George Davis for turning this idea into action and championing meaningful youth involvement every step of the way.
Lachlan Mitchell, Chair of the Young Person’s Patient Council added: “This is just one of many exciting projects our Young Person’s Patient Council is leading on, and it’s inspiring to see how much energy, creativity, and commitment they bring to improving care. We’re only just getting started and we can’t wait to see what more we can achieve together. We are truly stronger when young people are involved.”
The Youth Recruitment Panel pilot has shown the value of including young voices not just in service design, but in decisions that shape the workforce itself. By embedding this model into future recruitment processes, UHP is making a clear statement: young people matter, and their insights are instrumental in delivering compassionate, youth-centred care.
