A Salford volunteer has attended a Buckingham Palace Garden Party in recognition of his inspirational work to improve mental health services.
Dan Stears was praised at Buckingham Palace for his voluntary work that has seen crucial changes made to mental health training and services for Northwest Ambulance Services employees.
Dan has lived with a long-term mental health condition for more than 30 years which saw him reach low points in his life.
As well as living with a neurodiversity diagnosis, Dan says some of his earlier moments in life proved to be damaging to his mental and physical health.
Over recent years, he managed to turn things around and has used his journey as a powerful example of how lived experience can help encourage change.
But not just for himself, for entire communities.
After spending much of his adult life being supported and cared for by mental health services, Dan saw an opportunity to welcome more positivity into his life.
He made this change by starting to volunteer for the First Step Trust, an innovative charity providing opportunities for people excluded from working life because of mental health conditions, learning disabilities, drug or alcohol and other disadvantages.
He said: “When I gained a little more confidence in myself, thanks to the support I was given, I could really see how mental health services a lifeline is to so many people.
“I also saw how I could be a part of that and maybe put a little bit of good back into the world and give back to the those who were there for me when I needed it the most.”
Dan continued: “I’m so glad I took that step to start volunteering because it’s lead me to where I am today.”
This confidence led to his ground-breaking work initiatives aimed to prevent suicide and self-harm.
Dan has also become a trusted advisor for public engagement strategies across the NHS and Research organisations.
In 2017, his commitment to mental health advocacy deepened when he became the chair of the Salford Mental Health forum and by 2019, he used his time at the Northwest Ambulance Service and joined the Patient and Public Participation Panel.
He was then appointed the Lived Experience Lead on a significant new initiative funded by Health Education England to support the project.
Led by the ambulance service, it aimed to improve mental health training for ambulance staff and call centre personnel on the frontline.
The Mental Health Ambulance Staff Education project, known as Hase, was rolled out across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland from 2022.
He has also advised police services.
He said: “I’m incredibly proud of the work I’ve done to develop an education and training programme in mental health support for NHS staff.
“The project has taken my work across the globe and I’m so grateful to NWAS for their continued support in my work.”
As the current Chairperson of the Service User Council at Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Trust, Dan’s influence and work is still making a difference at a strategic level.
His work was also highlighted by Elena Church, Patient and Public Panel Facilitator at Northwest Ambulance Service, who added: “Dan has been a valued member of our PPP for nearly seven years, having joined as part of the very first cohort.
“Over the years, he has played a key role in a wide range of work across NWAS, particularly in supporting our mental health initiatives and serving as a patient representative on various workstreams.”
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