The developer of an app which lets young people across London find the health services they need at the tap of a screen – from mental health services in Barking, to drug and alcohol advice in Hounslow, to sexual health screening in Lambeth – has won an award for her work.

Since its launch in March last year the Wellhappy app has enjoyed excellent feedback and growing success, with over 3000 downloads so far. Its young developer Kat Cormack, who works for NHS England in London, has now been recognised with an Outstanding Social Entrepreneur Award in the vInspired National Awards. These awards recognise the achievements and dedication of young volunteers and youth workers across the country, and are the biggest accolades of their kind. This is a well deserved pat on the back for Kat, who brought several years of involvement in volunteering as well as her own experiences of battling mental illness to the project.

Aimed at young people aged 12-25, Wellhappy is designed to provide a fingertip search of local services and advice on the right help for the person using it, bridging the communication gap between young people and the NHS. Free to download and available for most smartphones, the app signposts young people to local mental health, sexual health and substance misuse services.  The app is also designed to help young people navigate these services through diverse content on a website where young people can blog about their own experiences, read FAQs, Jargon busters and more.

Support for Wellhappy has been overwhelming, and it is already proving itself as a powerful tool to help young people take control of their own health and emotional wellbeing. Singer Joss Stone has spoken about the difference WellHappy can bring to young Londoners: ‘I’m Well Happy to see that the NHS are thinking about the health issues that are affecting the youth,’ Joss says.

“The problems affecting young people aren’t always the easiest to talk about – sex, drugs and rock and roll might be good for a song but not always an easy conversation. The fact that this app puts people in the direction not only of doctors but counselling and arts based charities is a great way to go about it. We are so lucky in the UK that health services are available to everyone, not just those that can afford it. This type of initiative makes me really proud of our NHS!”

Wellhappy was born out of Kat Cormack’s own history of battling mental health issues as a young person, which motivated her to bring guidance and information to other young people coping with similar issues.

Dedicating four years of her life to volunteering for the London-based charity Young Minds allowed her to get directly involved with groups and individuals working to make a difference. It also put her onto a path that lead to full-time employment at NHS London and the development of the WellHappy app and online service.

Kat, 24, works within the team responsible for the ‘myhealthlondon’ website, and the Wellhappy app was developed in partnership with them. She also runs a dedicated young people’s channel on the website offering mental health and other advice to young people in the capital.

To develop the app, Kat worked with the NHS, Young Minds and Living Well, alongside young people with their own personal input, to develop the app and online space as an essential new tool.

She continues to be involved with Young Minds while also meeting and working with new contacts at many other charitable and voluntary organisations as part of her ongoing work with the NHS.

“It’s such an honour for me to be presented with this award,’ says Kat. ‘I don’t do it for recognition, helping people is enough motivation. But it’s great to know that people appreciate what I do. Running this project has given me loads more confidence and really helped me to improve my outlook on life and it’s brilliant that these awards not only celebrate the benefits of volunteering but also inspire young people to volunteer and make a difference in their communities.”

Kat also wants to increase the reach of the WellHappy service further: ‘Having had both national and international interest in the app, we are currently exploring how we can extend the service to give young people access to even more information and advice.’

The development of the app has been supported by the Mayor of London, who has launched the London Health Commission to investigate key health issues for the capital, such as mental ill health. It is also one of five priority areas identified by the London Health Board, which the Mayor chairs to provide leadership on health issues at a pan-London level.

The Deputy Mayor of London Victoria Borwick commented: “Mental health is a priority area for the London Health Board and a key issue that we hope will be investigated by the London Health Commission, so congratulations to Kat on getting this well-deserved award. The fact that she created the WellHappy app to help others is a wonderful example of how much young people and volunteering contribute to our great city.

“Too often young people with mental health issues can feel isolated and not know where to turn. Thanks to this invaluable app, wherever they live in London, they can easily find local services and see just how much support is out there for them when they need it.”