The NHS wants to hear from children and young people in Rutland about their health.

Children and young people aged 11 to 25 living in Rutland are being encouraged to have a say on their experience of health services, as the local NHS launches its biggest ever engagement with young people.

The Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Integrated Care Board (LLR ICB) wants to hear from as many of the 222,000 young people in the area as possible, as well as from families and staff providing health care services for this age group.

The information collected will help the local NHS understand what is important to children and young people receiving care, their families and the staff who are providing that care.

It will also help identify aspects of care which are good and areas where improvements are needed.

"Children and young people are experiencing the world very differently from how adults experienced it when they were young," said Imad Ahmed, LLR ICB clinical lead for children and young people's health.

"Healthcare has also changed a lot, and so has the way it is provided, with more phone appointments and online services."

He added: "When it comes to making improvements, we need to plan this together with young people, as they are the experts in terms of how it feels to access services, and we want this engagement to be the start of a much longer conversation.

"The insight gathered will tell us what is working and what isn't and provide us with the knowledge of which areas we need to investigate further with young people."

Views will be gathered through a survey, which can be completed online or on paper.

A range of services and community organisations are also involved, to ensure a greater number of young people are contacted.

Dr Nil Sanganee, GP and chief medical officer for the LLR ICB, said: "This is the first time we have reached out to young people in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland in this way and at this large scale, and I really do encourage everyone to come forward, find out what we're asking and get involved."

The survey is open now until March 3, 2024.

People can also connect via social media: @NHSLLR #WhatYouSaying or request a paper copy of the questionnaire by calling 0116 295 7572 or emailing: [email protected]