Child health website launched

The Great Ormond Street website for children

Young people are to be able to access child-friendly health advice on a website set up by Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital.

Although there are already sites offering advice about children's health, the hospital says they are targeted at adults.

The website - http://www.goshkids.nhs.uk - launched on Thursday, has been put together by experts at the world-famous hospital and the Institute of Child Health, but is also based on the experiences of children.

It is aimed at children aged five to 16, and will have separate areas for young children and teenagers.

The site has been designed to appeal to children

Children can take a virtual hospital tour and find information about illnesses and treatments, including a medical dictionary for children.

They will be able to read about other children's experiences of what it is like to suffer from different illnesses, and children reading the site will be encouraged to send in their own stories.

Child-friendly

Scott Fitzmaurice, 15, who has been going to the hospital for leg lengthening surgery since he was one said: "When I was younger there was no information available, nobody really told me what was happening.

"You don't know that you can ask questions.

When I was younger there was no information available, nobody really told me what was happening

Scott Fitzmaurice, 15

"Now I'm older I'm able to ask more. But, being able to go away and know where to look for information is important."

Gary Loach, editor of GOSHKids, told BBC News Online: "Almost all the information on the Internet already was aimed directly at adults.

"We wanted to provide information targeted at children, in both language and presentation, that they can engage with and relate to."

He added: "We hope that children going into hospital will be able to go on to the site and have access to information that they know is reliable.

"However, providing accessible information isn't enough if we are to truly engage with young people - we need to empower them, providing a safe forum for sharing experiences.

"Only then can we put them at ease with coming into hospital and with their health as a whole."