Over 450,000 students have now benefitted from the free mental health resources and confidential support, provided with £3.6 million set up for student space, which include those who recently braved the “freshers” experience.
The Higher Education Minister, Robert Halfon disclosed this while delivering speech at the (UUK) Universities United Kingdom conference on mental health in higher education, London on Tuesday.
According to him, “The World Health Organisation defines good mental health as: ‘a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realise their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community’
“Every single part of that definition has relevance to students’ time at university. But particularly having sufficient mental wellbeing to realise their abilities and learn well.
“Students cannot fulfil their potential, and study for a degree on which to build future success, if their wellbeing is unsupported. Mental ill health is not something students should be expected to push through, attempt to ignore – because we all know that can lead to tragic consequences”.
The Minister made it known that increasing numbers of students are needing support, recalled in 2022, 23% more students declared mental health conditions when they applied through UCAS.
He said, “It takes bravery to ‘own up’ to an ongoing mental health issue when you’re about to embark on a new stage of your life, hoping to make new friends, and perhaps even present a new version of yourself.
“We need to reward this bravery by ensuring the support is there when they arrive at university. So on an individual level, mental health support for students is important for their personal academic success.
“But I think it’s important on a societal level too. I see mental health not just as personal issue, but a matter of social justice. It’s about making sure the opportunity to enter, thrive and graduate from university is open to everyone with the ability to do so”.
The Minister pressed further that today poor mental health reduces the chance of progressing to a graduate job or further study, saying this shouldn’t be the case.
Adding that,”No one should be held back from achieving in higher education because of their background or personal challenges.
“When we create the right conditions for good mental health, we are in turn allowing students to climb the Ladder of Opportunity to sustainable employment and prosperity. This is clear progress. But I know you don’t want to sit back and rest on your laurels, and that is why you are here today.
“Because we have all been deeply affected by the loss of bright, capable and loved young people to suicide at university. And we owe it to the memories of those we have lost to take strong and effective action to prevent further tragedies”, he said.
The Minister for Higher Education who made this an absolute priority said there are three pillars to his approach which includes funding vital services and projects; spreading and implementing best practice; and clear responsibilities for providers and protection for students.
The first pillar which is about investing in wellbeing of students, he said, “To provide nationwide access to free mental health resources, confidential support, we provided Student Minds with £3.6 million to set up Student Space. Over 450,000 students have now benefitted from this service, including those who recently braved the “freshers” experience.
“Those early stages of university life bring new opportunities, but new responsibilities, and the transition isn’t always easy. We are backing university wellbeing services to support these students as part of this year’s £15 million investment in mental health by the Office for Students (OfS).
“Of course it’s not just about the level of investment, but about being clear-headed on which interventions will genuinely transform students’ lives. And that’s why the launch of TASO’s (Transforming Access and Student Outcomes in Higher Education) Student Mental Health Evidence Hub last month couldn’t have been more timely.
“As part of our grant to the OfS, it’s the first step towards understanding ‘what really works’ in higher education settings so we can make timely and effective interventions to help students, rather than let problems escalate. You will hear more about this in the afternoon.
“One thing you have told us needs to work better is the join-up between university services and the NHS. I want us to be in a position where a student comes into hospital, and the doctor already knows if that student has seen a university wellbeing officer.
“That’s why the OfS has brought together higher education (HE) providers and NHS trusts across each region in England to address the challenges of joined-up working. It’s about having single clear view of student across universities and the NHS so they have smooth experience of transitioning between services. The outputs of this work are due to be shared by the OfS in the coming weeks.
“The NHS mental health care services that many students rely on are already benefitting from an additional £2.3 billion a year, through the NHS Long Term Plan. And government has gone further, with guaranteed increases through the Mental Health Investment Standard that have brought our total investment to nearly £16 billion in 2022/2023”.
Second pillar which is about best practice, the Minister stated that there’s need to create the right conditions on campus for students to thrive through a whole-university approach to mental health.
He said, “This means not just relying on student wellbeing services. It means everyone, from the Vice Chancellor down to the librarian takes responsibility for creating an environment and culture that supports positive mental health and wellbeing.
“The principles for achieving this are laid out in the University Mental Health Charter. This importantly includes the principle that good staff wellbeing should be supported, recognising the challenges those in the room face on a day-to-day basis.
“The associated Charter Programme supports providers to embed these important principles and follow a process of continuous improvement as they work towards the Charter Award. It is already raising standards within the sector.
Halfon thanked the University staff for their hard work, and backing of their leaders, have delivered incredible 50 percent increase in University Mental Health Charter Programme membership over the summer. “We’re now at 96 universities, which is a big step – perhaps even a giant leap – closer to our target of all universities joining by September 2024.
“This is the cornerstone of our plan to improve student mental health. I am fully committed to reaching the full target and providing support for the fantastic Student Minds to see it through.
“We also owe a lot to Universities UK. By working closely with charities and experts, it has made great strides in recent years in developing clear mental health support frameworks”, the Minister said.
Speaking about the third pillar, which is to develop a ‘student commitment’, he said, students need to be dealt with sensitively when they face course dismissal or receive difficult assignment results.
The Minister who is delighted to open the inaugural taskforce meeting in July, saw common cause across a group bringing together different parts of higher education sector, Professor Steve West representing UUK, as well as health services, the charity sector, and – crucially – students and parents.
He said the recently appointed FE Support Champion, Polly Harrow, will shortly be invited to join the taskforce to ensure govt joining-up its approach across colleges and universities. “The taskforce will conclude its work in May next year, providing an interim update in early 2024.
“In recent months I have had the privilege to speak directly to families who have lost loved ones to suicide. I have been humbled by their strength and determination to prevent further tragedies, whilst facing the most unimaginable pain and loss. We stand with these families.
“This Government has pledged to reduce suicide rates within five years – with young people, including students, a priority group. We have set out over 100 actions to meet this pledge as part of our comprehensive Suicide Prevention Strategy.
“This includes learning lessons from suicides that have occurred in universities. We will do this through a National Review of Higher Education Student Suicides.
“We are looking to appoint an organisation with the expertise and track record to deliver this important review and we hope to announce further details very shortly.
“I’m sure the sector will embrace this review as a positive endeavour to do better by students. Serious incident reviews will be submitted on an anonymised basis, using UUK’s postvention guidance template.
“We have heard the heartfelt stories from families and friends who have lost loved ones. All eyes are now on those who have the power to make a real difference to students’ wellbeing”, he said.