Abstract

As part of the 70th anniversary celebrations, a Student-led Health Commission was recruited by the Policy Institute at Kings College London. The group, commissioned by the NHS, was tasked to recommend radical changes to the UK National Health Service.The commission was challenged to identify young people’s views of what our health and social care system should deliver and envision fundamental changes to healthcare over the next 15 years.

This project improved the commissioners’ understanding of health policy process and allowed future health professionals to have hands on experience in health leadership and management, interacting with senior health management and organising an ‘unconference’.

Due to varying personal and educational commitments outside of the project, coping mechanisms for time management strategies were developed by all members of the commission. Professionalism was another key learning point throughout the project. We were in continual contact with senior health management, clients and other stakeholders, and a professional attitude was essential.This experience highlights the importance of this type of project for students and alumni, equipping the interns with skills and knowledge that cannot be learned at university while making an impact on the population.

By managing two teams of commissioners, I was able to oversee several tasks informed by external stakeholders, for which we collected data using interviews and were advised by a team of Harvard interns. We engaged healthcare professionals and other young voices by circulating surveys to student networks and healthcare bodies. During our unconference, I presented recommendations to an audience of front-line staff, policymakers, senior managers and students, as well as live-interviewing a senior stakeholder on recommendations implementation.