RCPCH publishes advice to help young people during the pandemic

Paediatricians, GPs and psychiatrists have joined forces to produce guidance for young people who are worried about their health.

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) has joined forces with the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) and the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCP) to produce a 'fridge poster', which signposts when and where young people should seek help during the pandemic.

Building on the existing posters for parents and carers, the new posters address young people directly and allow them to take appropriate action according to the symptoms they are experiencing. Using the same 'traffic light' system as the advice for families, the new posters seek to stop confusion among young people about what to do if they are unwell.

Young people may not know they are still able to have face-to-face consultations, may find it difficult to get an appointment quickly when worried, or may be concerned about COVID transmission.  Added to this, lockdowns have meant some have not been able to see their extended families and friends.

There are four posters - one for each of the four UK nations - that signposts young people to the appropriate health services or reassures them, on the basis of the symptoms they are experiencing. They can be downloaded below, and you can also find all our advice posters for families here.