WSLHD Youth Health Annual Report

Whilst tackling COVID-19 through testing, treating and vaccination, WSLHD Youth Health Services have continued to work towards improving the health and wellbeing of young people in western Sydney.

was an enormous year for Western Sydney.

We were faced with a global pandemic which saw our District as the epicentre of the Delta outbreak. This variant of COVID-19 placed unprecedented pressure on our health systems and further amplified many barriers young people experience to receiving the right health care at the right time. Young peoples’ health and wellbeing is influenced by a range of factors and experiences during adolescence and early adulthood. It is an important period for early intervention in health concerns, whether they be physical, emotional, psychological, cognitive and/or social.

In 2021, some of the key focuses of Youth Health Services included:

Increasing accessibility of services for young people through enhanced collaboration and training provision for non-youth health services within WSLHD, Increasing health promotion, education and early intervention through the commencement of Wellbeing and Health In-Reach Nurses in local schools, Enhancing care coordination and integration for vulnerable young people through the Emergency Department Care Navigation role, Enhancing access to youth health services for young people who identify as culturally and linguistically diverse, refugees and/or Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, and Improving transition care for young people with chronic conditions and/or disabilities that is person-centred, holistic and integrated. The future of western Sydney communities relies on strong, healthy and resilient young people. We are committed to ensuring that young people in western Sydney have the best opportunity to achieve their full potential and recognise that promoting health and wellbeing is essential to this.

The NSW Youth Health Framework 2017-2024 recognises the importance of ensuring young people in NSW are healthy, safe and well. It identifies three goals to achieve this:

The health system responds to the needs of young people, including targeted responses for vulnerable young people

Health services are accessible and young people are engaged and respected

Young people are supported to optimise their health and wellbeing.

The ongoing impacts of COVID-19 saw disruption to many of the ‘norms’ of young people’s lives, including opportunities to participate in traditional forms of education, paid employment, socialisation and community activities. This has particularly impacted young people’s mental health and wellbeing, driving increased demand for clinical care and peer support. To meet the growing and changing health needs of young people in western Sydney, 2021 saw multiple Youth Health services pivot and adapt to continuing providing health care and wellbeing services to our youth.