1. OIA Student Mental Health: Good Practice in HE Providers
Ruth Caleb
Wellbeing Consultant, Brunel University London
Chair of the Mental Wellbeing in HE Working Group

2. What is Good Mental Health?
‘Mental health encompasses emotional resilience to enable us to enjoy life and survive pain, disappointment and sadness, and an underlying belief in our own, and others’, dignity and worth. It also allows us to engage productively in and contribute to society or our community.’
MWBHE / UUK Student Mental Wellbeing in HE Good Practice Guide (2015)

3. What issues concern students?
Media references to the ‘lost generation’ and a ‘mental health crisis in HE students’.
Students are under a great deal of pressure to get a good degree.
Academic problems
Financial strain
Long working hours
Problems at home
Loss of usual support networks including their local NHS GP and mental health practitioners.
There is a rise in the number of international, European and widening participation students who experience particular challenges.

4. Social Media Pressure

5. Challenges faced by universities
Student numbers have grown but the resources for services to cope with this have not.
Students are now customers and more demanding.
University support services have seen a large increase in clients, especially students with serious and complex mental health problems.
Specialist NHS mental health services, such as eating disorder clinics and psychological therapies, are being cut or even closed
Waiting lists for psychiatric assessments and psychological therapy are growing….
But an increasing proportion are suffering from stress, depression or other mental health conditions.
In 2015/16, 15,395 UK-domiciled first-year students at HEIs in the UK disclosed a mental health condition – almost five times the number in 2006/07.
Many students prefer not to disclose mental ill health, so we must assume that these figures are a likely to be a considerable underestimate.
Student numbers are growing but the resources for services to cope with this are not.
University support services have seen a large increase in clients, especially students with serious and complex mental health problems.
Specialist mental health services, such as eating disorder clinics and psychological therapies, are being cut or even closed, and waiting lists for psychiatric assessments and psychological therapy are growing.

6. Role of Universities to support student wellbeing
Universities have a responsibility to support student wellbeing and especially mental health.
Universities have always been at the forefront of support for mental health and wellbeing.
They need to acknowledge that the student profile has changed.
More students from widening participation groups
A higher proportion of younger students
More anxiety and depression in society at large
Concerns for European and international students

7. Student mental health and wellbeing: Whose responsibility?
Student services and wellbeing teams
Students
Academic staff
Senior management group
Governing bodies
Parliament
Community partners
‘This is not simply your problem, it is everybody’s problem’
Professor Julia Buckingham, VC and President, Brunel University London

8. Universities UK #Stepchange Programme
The #stepchange in student mental health begins with higher education leaders adopting mental health as a strategic imperative.
Universities must work in close partnership with parents, schools and employers to prepare students for transitions and with the NHS to coordinate care for students.
But the main message is self-improvement. Universities should adopt mental health as a strategic priority, implementing a whole university approach, with students and staff involved at all stages of the journey.
Professor Steve West, Vice Chancellor University of West England
Chair, Universities UK Mental Health in Higher Education Working Group

9. A whole university approach for student mental wellbeing Student mental wellbeing in HE: Good Practice Guide
Legal considerations
Policy development and processes
Support and guidance structures
Raising awareness and training
Download the Guide:
analysis/reports/Documents/2015/student-mental-wellbeing-in-he.pdf

10. Legal considerations
The law is largely untested in the courts and is continuously evolving.
The student contract and publicity must deliver what they offer. So if it outlines pastoral and academic support, it has to demonstrate what this means.
Statutory obligations:
Contract and Consumer Law
Health and Safety at Work Act (1974)
Equality Act (2010)
Human Rights Act (1998)
Data Protection Act (1998)
The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (from May 2018)

11. Mental Health Policy Development What needs to be included?
A commitment to mental wellbeing and the support for students with mental health issues.
A commitment to raising staff and student awareness about mental health issues.
A commitment to partnerships in the community.
The policy should be the start point leading to the development of procedural frameworks to guide intervention and decision making when mental (or physical) ill health becomes problematic in terms of:
the student’s academic (and where required, professional) progress
the student’s enjoyment of life
the student’s ability to live and study in a community
A commitment to

12. Creating a mental health policy of practical use:
A framework needs to include processes to support mental wellbeing, for example:
Fitness to study procedure
Crisis intervention
Mitigating circumstances procedure
Returning to study
Guide for staff to support students who are disturbed or distressed.

13. How universities support student mental wellbeing
Welfare support / wellbeing team
Counselling service
Disability service
Mental health advice
Chaplaincy
Buddying and peer mentoring (residence and academic)
Personal tutor system and departmental support
Financial and practical advice
Groups and workshops
Online support
Security Service - 24 hours, every day of the year

14. Working with partners for student mental health
Voluntary and statutory specialist agencies, e.g. eating disorder clinics, drug and alcohol agencies
Independent therapeutic agencies
Mental health self-help support groups
Local and national voluntary agencies
Helplines
Online support
NHS – GP and local mental health
services …

15. Challenging Stigma: Raising awareness
Challenge stigma at every level, including senior management and students themselves.
Use every stage of student life to consider their mental wellbeing – not just induction for freshers.
Nominate a champion to carry your voice into senior management.
Consider having a rolling programme of 3 levels of mental health and wellbeing training:
Level 1: For the whole institutional community
Level 2: For staff members with student-facing roles
Level 3: For staff in a professional advisory, support or therapeutic roles
Make wellbeing initiatives a proactive and positive part of staff and student experience.

16. Wellbeing Initiatives for All

17. Colourdash – a 5k run/ walk/ wheel/ crawl….
250+ runners - staff, students and local community
£10,000+ raised for a local children’s hospice.

18. Thank you for listening!