STUDENT Yousuf Shabbir is spreading the word about Healthwatch Trafford to other students at Altrincham Grammar School for Boys.

He is a volunteer with Healthwatch Trafford and a big part of his role is gathering the patient experiences of other pupils and reporting these findings back to Healthwatch, so that young people can have their say about services.

By finding out what matters to young people when using health or social care services, Healthwatch Trafford works to get these experiences and views heard by health bosses and encourage them to make changes.

After completing Healthwatch Trafford Champion training, Yousuf has already talked to 30 students in his role and gathered views about GP surgeries and hospitals. So far, students generally appear positive about the care they’ve had with service waiting times coming up as an issue for some.

Yousuf said: “As a 'young champion', I promote the service and collect feedback which provides valuable information for health service providers and for the public.

"I have been given opportunities to promote Healthwatch within the school and this is increasing my confidence, making me feel good about the difference I can make and has also developed my passion for doing more community/voluntary work.”