Children and young people survey results 2024

Children and young people feel involved in their NHS care, but support for emotional wellbeing and responses to concerns could be improved, national survey finds

A national survey reveals that while children and young people report positive experiences of being involved in decisions about their healthcare, there is a clear need for better emotional support and more effective responses to concerns raised during hospital stays.

Results from the 2024 Children and Young People’s Patient Experience Survey, which was coordinated by the independent charity Picker on behalf of the Care Quality Commission (CQC), included responses from over 25,000 children, young people, and their parents / carers across 120 NHS trusts in England. The survey focused on the experiences of inpatient and day case care for children and young people aged from 15 days to 15 years, exploring both personal elements of care – such as staff interactions and communication – and practical issues like food and facilities.

Involvement in decisions

Children and young people reported high levels of involvement in decisions about their care and treatment:  

• Nearly eight in ten (79%) 8 to 11 year olds said they were involved, rising to almost nine in ten (87%) 12 to 15 year olds.
• For the younger age group, nine in ten (91%) parents / carers said they were involved in decisions about their child’s care and treatment.

Interactions with staff

Staff play a crucial role in creating positive healthcare experiences, especially for children and young people. These interactions were generally positive, with four out of five (81%) children and young people saying that staff were ‘very’ friendly. However, only 70% ‘always’ felt able to ask staff questions, and just over two thirds (71%) felt that staff always took the time to listen to their worries and fears. This figure was notably lower for younger children: only 59% of parents and carers of children aged 0 to 7 say staff listened to their child’s worries

Support with play and activities – important for emotional wellbeing in hospital – was also lacking:  

• 37% of children and young people aged 8 to 15 said that there was no play or activities with staff during their hospital stay.
• 38% parents / carers of children aged 0 to 7 said that staff did not play with their child whilst they were in hospital.

Responding to concerns

The survey explored parents’ experiences of raising concerns. Over half (62%) of parents / carers who raised a concern said it was ‘definitely’ taken seriously, but nearly 4 in 10 (38%) felt it was taken seriously only ‘to some extent’ or not at all. These results suggest room for improvement in how parents are empowered to raise concerns about their child’s condition or treatment.

Commenting on the findings, Chris Graham, Group CEO at Picker, said:

“The results from the Children and Young People’s Patient Experience Survey are a powerful reminder of the importance of listening to the voices of children, young people and their families. It’s encouraging to see strong levels of involvement in care decisions, but the findings also highlight areas where the NHS must do better—particularly in supporting young people’s emotional wellbeing and responding to their and their families’ concerns

Every child and young person deserves to feel heard, supported, and safe when accessing and experiencing healthcare. As Martha’s Rule aims to strengthen families’ ability to seek a review of their loved one’s condition, these insights underline just how vital it is that those concerns are always taken seriously.

Lord Darzi’s review of the NHS noted the patient voice is often not loud enough in the NHS: this is particularly so for children and young people. It is essential that the upcoming ten year plan for health has a clear focus on the health and wellbeing of these future generations.

Providers should use these results to drive meaningful improvements in services and to ensure that all children and young people receive high quality, person-centred care.”

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Notes to editors

• For media enquiries, please contact Marketing and Communications team at pressoffice@pickereurope.ac.uk, or phone: 01865 632 235.

• The Children and Young People’s Patient Experience Survey was coordinated by Picker on behalf of the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Fieldwork for the survey was conducted between August and December 2024.

• The survey underwent a large-scale redevelopment for 2024 and as a result, we are unable to compare this year’s results with data collected in previous years.

• Taking part in the survey is compulsory for all NHS trusts providing acute paediatric inpatient and day case services. This year 120 NHS Trusts in England participated.

• All participating NHS Trusts sampled up to 1,250 patients. Overall, 25,812 children, young people and their parent / carer responded to the survey from 133,138 who were invited: a response rate of 19.6%.

• Children and young people aged between 15 days and 15 years old who had received care and treatment during March, April or May 2024 as either a day case or inpatient were eligible for the survey.

• Full results for the survey are available from Survey – NHS Surveys

• Picker’s team of researchers and data scientists are available to support organisations in understanding, measuring, and using workforce and user experience. For queries about our services or to request a call, please contact info@pickereurope.ac.uk.