'I felt worthless and did not want to be here': Shropshire's new mental health service in focus

Health leaders pledged to learn from the experiences of a 'brave' young man as a new mental health contract launches across Shropshire this week.

A joint meeting of the integrated care boards of the organisations that commission NHS services across Shropshire and Staffordshire heard the story of 20 year old Logan whose life went 'downhill' after he was bullied at school.

Logan, in a podcast interview, wanted to people struggling with their mental health to know that "there is help out there."

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He said: "I had hit rock bottom but you can bounce back.

"I hit rock bottom when I started to get bullied 10 years ago. People did not want to know me," he said.

"I felt worthless and did not want to be here."

He said he did not want to be a burden to other people and kept his feelings to himself.

"I went to university 400 miles away when I felt very isolated and that's when it went bad."

But after he was referred to the Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (MPFT) team that helps people transitioning from child mental health to adolescent services, things started to change.

"Just having a chat about anything and thinking about things other than the dark side," he said, describing the help he received as the "best thing that ever happened."

He is now 'back in the community doing things' and thinking about a career as a marine biologist.

A podcast interview with Logan, a South Staffordshire resident, was broadcast to the board meeting in Wellington last Thursday (March 26).

Vanessa Whatley, interim chief nursing officer for NHS Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin, praised Logan as "really brave" for agreeing to share his story.

She added that officials want to bring a new model of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) from Staffordshire into Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin.

"That's the ambition," she told the meeting.

Officials say it has been redesigned from the 'ground up' with input from hundreds of children, young people, parents, carers and professionals.

NHS leaders plan to provide faster support with reduced waiting times and interim help while awaiting specialist care.

They are also wanting to support people like Logan through the transition from children's services to those for adolescents.

Members of the board were told that the transitional care team model used by Logan in South Staffordshire offers valuable lessons as Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin prepares to launch its new model of CAMHS.

A report to board members noted that Logan’s story demonstrates the benefits of a dedicated transition function and reinforces the importance of designing services around young people’s lived experience.

The board noted the challenges faced by young people during transitions between children’s and adult mental health services, and recognise the 'positive impact' that the Transitional Care Team has had in Logan’s case.

It was also asked to consider the learning for future service development in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin