UK universities are experiencing unprecedented levels of demand
for mental health support services.
Latest ONS
data published today reveals that almost two-thirds of
students have experienced a decline in their mental health this
academic year, and that students' life satisfaction during the
pandemic remains far below the national adult average.
In the week that some students are beginning their return to
in-person learning and activities, Universities UK is calling on
the government to urgently turn its focus towards supporting
students’ mental health and wellbeing in the weeks and months
ahead, by taking the following steps:
- The immediate provision of targeted funding for university
wellbeing and mental health services. This funding should be
allocated to all higher education providers so that they can
increase staff capacity and improve their support, ensuring
greater number of students can access services at a faster pace.
- Implementing the commitment to student mental health set out
in the NHS Long Term Plan by commissioning student-facing NHS
services. Half of young adults enter higher education. They need
dedicated services, coordinating university support with primary
care, psychological therapies and specialist services. The
Department for Health and Social Care, the Department for
Education and NHS England should work closely with universities
to set out and fund the transformation of NHS services to meet
the needs of the growing and diverse student population.
Alistair Jarvis, Chief Executive of Universities UK,
said: “Universities have worked extremely hard to
transform support services to meet the challenges of the
pandemic, moving counselling and advice online, building digital
communities and developing new services to meet new needs.
However we are continuing to see significant increases in demand
for university-funded support services, which were already
plugging the gaps resulting from the lack of NHS resources and
funding.”
“The differing level of mental health support for students
depending on their location remains a concern. We need a
substantive focus on students' mental health and wellbeing from
the government, alongside student-facing NHS services to match
the commitment made in the NHS Long Term Plan.”
