200 Teenagers Helped by Award-Winning Teen Clinic Daventry

The award-winning Teen Clinic Daventry is celebrating the milestone of supporting 200 young people since it was founded. The clinic offers a free, confidential service for local teenagers, including access to a GP, mental health support, and advice around sexual health and contraception.

The project was launched in 2022 by Dr Sarah Tudor of Abbey House Medical Practice (GP and Clinical Lead for Teen Clinic Daventry). Unlike more general clinics that cater to all ages, Teen Clinic Daventry is a one-stop health hub that provides teenagers with a range of services tailored to their mental and physical wellbeing.

The clinic is part of Healthy Young Daventry, a Public Health initiative in collaboration with Daventry Town Council and partners in health and education. The milestone of 200 young people using the clinic highlights the importance of this vital service, which was recently praised as 'a remarkable centre' by Chris Heaton-Harris, MP for Daventry. Teenagers can see more than one healthcare professional when they attend, so those 200 visits equate to around 300 clinical contacts.

The growth of the clinic has also caught the attention of other Local Area Partnerships, who are looking to start their own Teen Clinic inspired by the success of Daventry. This success was recognised nationally in December 2023, when Louise Townsend from The Parker E-Act Academy won the Community Champion award at the Education Today Awards for her work with Teen Clinic Daventry.

Louise explained: "Teen Clinic provides a safe space for young people to access a number of services under one roof. Our health professionals support direct referrals if needed, cutting down waiting times. The clinic is so important as it gives young people monthly support options, while they may be waiting for additional support from services that have very long waiting lists."

In the coming months, the Teen Clinic team will also be presenting a talk at Best Practice London, the leading event for the general practice and primary care industry. The hope is that more communities will be inspired to form their own clinics, helping even more young people access much-needed help and support.

As for Teen Clinic Daventry, it continues to go from strength to strength, now firmly established as an essential service within the local community. As one teenager who uses the Teen Clinic explained: "I need a space to feel safe and heard. Sometimes all you need is a listening ear."

Teen Clinic Daventry is a partnership between Daventry Town Council, Service Six, NHFT, NCT, Daventry E-Act academies, Daventry Primary Care Network, and local businesses and community organisations. The clinic also has a Youth Forum, which develops content for the website and provides input around future themes and developments.

The clinic is currently funded (2023/24) by Daventry Town Council, Public Health West Northants, Northamptonshire Health and Care Partnership and Avon Fund for Women and Girls. The partnership is in the process of exploring funding options for 2024-25 to ensure the clinic can continue to support the health and wellbeing of local young people.