Dragons’ Den 2018 – who’s in the final?

More than 2,000 people voted for their favourite ideas to go forward to the Den at Poole’s Lighthouse next week. We are delighted to announce the ideas that got through to the final are:

• First aid training for young people with mental health issues. To tie in with NHS70, this would provide St John's Ambulance first aid training for 70 young people across Dorset. This would give them potentially life saving skills while also building up their CVs.
• A 'pop-up' cafe at St Ann's Hospital in Poole. This would establish a mobile 'pop-up' cafe, run by staff and patients, which would enable patients to meet friends and family in an informal setting. This will help mental health patients develop social and practical skills, while supporting their recovery.
• An outreach van to provide sexual health services to vulnerable people across Dorset. This van would provide essential services - including contraceptives, health testing, advice and support - to young people, sex workers, and others at risk of harm and exploitation. This will help to keep hard-to-reach people safe, healthy and supported.
• A mobile phone app to help support patients on their road to recovery. Our Steps to Wellbeing team, which supports people with mental health issues, believes a phone app would help empower patients to play an active role in their own care. People would be able to access important information and advice, set goals, and monitor their own progress using this app, boosting their chances of a long-term recovery.
• Positive outdoor pursuits group for adults with learning disabilities. This would help people maintain a healthy connection with nature through activities such as fishing, walking, gardening, bird watching, and camping. As well as teaching people self-reliance and new skills, such activities can help reduce anxiety, depression, and behavioural problems.

The Dragons’ Den will convene to hear more about these proposals in The Lighthouse at 2pm on Wednesday, 12 September. If you’d like to be in the audience, you can reserve your place using the online booking form.