This petition originally emerged as a Members Motion presented by Rachael McCully MSYP at a National Sitting of the Scottish Youth Parliament in June 2012. The idea, based on Rachael’s experience of hospital wards in Scotland, received extremely strong support from her fellow MSYPs and near-unanimous backing, with 97% voting in favour of the motion:
“Hospitals in Scotland should have specific young persons wards or rooms for adolescents; they should also ensure staff receive adequate training to support young peoples mental and emotional needs in hospital.”
At the October 2012 SYP National Sitting, Rachael presented the issue as an option for a Public Petition. From a competitive and diverse shortlist of issues that are of importance to young people, MSYPs voted for young people’s hospital wards to be presented to the Public Petitions Committee as a priority for positive change for young people.
Based on this strong support, the Scottish Youth Parliament is submitting this petition as the next stage in seeking to secure this important provision.