New Chair and Vice Chair of IMHN

Jacob – Chair of IMHN

Hi! I’m Jacob, the new Chair of the IMHN.

I’ve been involved with the IMHN for a little while now, most recently as Vice-Chair. I’m really excited about stepping into the role of Chair for the coming year – and having the opportunity to work with such an amazingly diverse and talented group of people!

My own journey includes 15 years of using mental health services here in Surrey. I’ve experienced many of the frustrations first-hand: support not being there when it’s needed and, when it is, not always being heard, involved or kept informed. I’ve also seen and experienced examples of excellent care and, more often than not, these were achieved through coproduction.

Involving people with lived experience in making the decisions that affect us isn’t just the right thing to do – it gives us more effective services that are easier to access, and better outcomes when we need to use them. That’s why I love Surrey Coalition! It’s not just about our vision of a fairer world, but also the collaborative and values-led way we work towards it.

A bit more about me…

I work in inclusion and community engagement for a mental health charity, where I recently finished my Peer Support Worker training. I’m also a Governor in the NHS and a charity volunteer and trustee. Away from work, I love theatre and music (I play the piano – badly! – and I sing), and travelling to new and interesting places, exploring them through art, language and, of course, food!

A few last words…

I’d love to hear your thoughts on how we can work with mental health services and continue to develop the IMHN – please feel free to drop me a line via Guy (IMHN Coordinator) 😊

We can’t change everything, and progress may not always come as quickly as we’d like – believe me, I know how difficult that can feel! But by sharing our experiences, listening to others’ perspectives and working together to find the best ways to apply them, I’m confident we can continue to grow our Network and amplify lived experience voices in Surrey and North East Hampshire.

Danny – Vice chair of IMHN

My name is Danny and I live in East Surrey with my wife Sarah whom I married 6 years ago and our chocolate fur baby fudge.

When I was born back in 1976, I contracted Meningitis, and I spent the first year of my life in hospital, I was fitted with a shunt when I was a baby which helps drain excess fluid off my brain.

In August 2021, whilst I was at work, I had a fall, and despite nothing major happening until 27th December I thought I was ok, then on 27th December, Sarah noticed I was sleeping a lot more than usual (I had been falling asleep at the dinner table on Christmas Day), she contacted 111 who advised her to get me to A&E, where they found nothing wrong with me and was going to discharge me, then a couple of days later I collapsed on the ward and I was then blue lit from East Surrey Hospital to St George’s Hospital where I was then rushed into Theatre, and I spent 9.5 weeks in hospital.

I was discharged from hospital in March 2022, and I decided to set up a group on Facebook called Meningitis Matters to try and help others like me, I then ended up back in hospital in December 2022 and only spent 48 hours in there.

Then in September last year I was diagnosed with Autism and ADHD, and so now I am trying to come to terms with that, I started taking ADHD medication today.

I am looking forward to being the Vice Chair for the IMHN, as I’d like to help others who are in the situation as myself, and I hope to bring a lot more positivity and clarity into the role, I’m also doing this to help myself become more aware and confident.