West Midlands Railway celebrates success of Wolverhampton Mental Health Hub

Dozens of vulnerable people have accessed mental health support from a new facility at Wolverhampton Station in its first month of opening, West Midlands Railway has confirmed today (17 June).

Offering one-to-one support, information and signposting to anyone who needs it, ‘The Hub’ is run by WMR in partnership with local charities and organisations including Rethink Mental Illness who maintain and staff the site, backed by Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation – the lead provider of mental health and learning disability services across the region.

In addition to its day-to-day offering, The Hub also offers space to local organisations to run pop-ups and events. Several groups have already used the site, including Thrive into Work, Children in CueSports and the Susan Vickers Foundation.

Coinciding with Rail Safety Week (16-22 June), an industry wide initiative which shines a spotlight on rail safety, senior members of the rail operator’s safety and security team visited Wolverhampton station today (Tuesday 17 June) alongside Rethink to engage with passengers about what The Hub offers.

Samantha Passmore, Wolverhampton customer experience manager for WMR, said: “The Hub has been extremely successful in its first four weeks of opening. We have had dozens of people enquiring about advice and additional support, and more and more charities are requesting to use the facility, which was our vision from day one. We look forward to seeing the Hub go from strength to strength over the coming months.”

Kirsten Rose, service manager at Rethink Mental Illness, said: “We’re proud to be part of The Hub at Wolverhampton Station, which is already proving to be a vital space for people to access mental health support in a safe, welcoming environment. In just a few weeks, we’ve seen how much of a difference it can make to have an accessible space where people feel able to reach out for help.

“The Hub sits alongside the wider mental health support we offer across the Black Country, helping us reach even more people who may be struggling. It’s a great example of what’s possible when organisations come together to put mental health at the heart of local communities.”

Carolyn Green, chief nurse for Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are so grateful to be able to collaborate and have this space available. We’ve seen increased interest in our services since the Hub opened and we look forward to more people from the Black Country being able to find and access support more easily.

“This includes our 24/7 mental health helpline, our sanctuary hubs, the Black Country Recovery College, and free suicide prevention training for families and carers. Having somewhere that signposts to these services in a visible, public location really matters and we believe it is, and will continue to be, lifesaving.”

The Hub supports the wider goal of making mental health services more accessible to the public, especially in high footfall areas.

You can find out more about mental health services in the region via www.blackcountryhealthcare.nhs.uk. To find out more about The Hub at Wolverhampton station, visit www.westmidlandsrailway.co.uk/stations/wolverhampton.