A suicide survivor from Liverpool has launched a new version of his app to help people in need of mental health support.
Jake Mills has update the Hub of Hope app in response to a 66% surge of people looking for mental health support in 2024.
The app, created in 2013, now has over 14,500 UK services listed and averages 25,700 monthly users.
After having difficulty finding support for himself, Mills, founder of the charity Chasing the Stigma, developed the app to centralise mental health services.
Since 2017, it has expanded from a basic spreadsheet to become the biggest mental health service locator in the UK, with over 800,000 users.
Jake Mills said: “Merseyside is a really special area, it struggles the most when it comes to mental health and suicide, but it also uses those difficult times to find new ways of working, to try to be self-sustainable and to propel itself forward.”
He continued: “It’s home to some incredible organizations, incredible charities that are often created through loss and hurt and pain, using lived experience that has an attitude of ‘we’ll sort it ourselves’.”
The app was crucial during the epidemic, reaching 2.2 million vulnerable people and being endorsed by NHS England as part of the national suicide prevention strategy.
Newer versions enhance data analysis, accessibility, and user interface, assisting in the identification of mental health issues and treatment shortages.
In 2024, Mills opened his first actual “Hope in the Community” site and collaborates with groups including Mind and Network Rail.
He added: “We know through our analytics that almost a third of our traffic comes from NHS sources. What that means is that people are going to the NHS looking for help and then coming to the Hub of Hope to find alternative support.”
“When the health minister is talking about the priority of keeping people out of hospitals and keeping them well in their communities, you’ve got to fund those communities and equip them. It’s not just about throwing money at it it’s about collaboration and working together.”
The app’s redesign is essential to relieving the strain on services and guaranteeing prompt assistance, since there are 2 million individuals on NHS waiting lists.
The CEO concluded: “There’s still a lot that we need to do, but I have a lot of hope for all the people of Merseyside that we are offering more help in this area than anywhere else.”
