Responding to the children and young
people’s mental health green paper, Professor
Steve West, Vice Chancellor of the University of the West of
England (Bristol) and Chair of the Mental Health In Higher
Education (MHHE) working group, commented:
“Mental health matters to universities. Universities want our
students and staff to thrive and succeed and, where they
experience mental health difficulties, to feel able to ask for
help and to receive it. This challenge is difficult to answer
alone. Universities must work in close partnership with the NHS
and with parents, schools, colleges and employers.
“Universities UK (UUK) is pleased to be part of a new national
strategic partnership with government, third sector, professional
bodies, students, colleges and employers focused on improving the
mental health of 16-25 year olds by encouraging more coordinated
action, experimentation and robust evaluation.
“We need to play a leadership role in developing seamless
approaches to young peoples’ mental health support that takes
them from school, through university and into adulthood and the
working world”.
Paul Jenkins, Chief Executive Officer at The Tavistock
and Portman NHS Foundation Trust and Chair of the UUK Task
Group looking at the design and delivery of mental health
services for college and university
students, commented:
“Last year, more than 15,000 first-year students at UK
universities and colleges disclosed a mental health condition to
NHS or university support services. There are wide variations in
mental health provision available for students.
“I look forward to working with the national strategic
partnership to reduce these variations in care and to encourage
local coalitions between tertiary education providers, health and
care commissioners and providers and local authorities.”
Professor Dame Sue Bailey, Chair of the
Children and Young People's Mental Health
Coalition, commented:
“I very much welcome the Green Paper and look forward to
working together across government, health and education
systems and employers to enable young people to achieve and
sustain good mental health as they make the important life
transitions from school, colleges and universities and into the
workplace.
“Our shared goal is sustainable mental health for the next
generation. Nothing could be more important.”
Notes
- Universities UK recently published a framework to
help improve the mental health and wellbeing of university
students. The step change
framework – part of Universities UK's programme of work to
help improve the mental health and wellbeing of students and
staff in higher education – is aimed at supporting university
leaders to help embed good mental health across all university
activities.
