Many colleges and universities are failing their students when it comes to provision of support for those with mental health issues. It is shocking how few universities have addressed the problem at even the most basic level by have proper publicly available policies in place, setting out their plans and procedures.
In an age where students are increasingly aware of their rights as consumers, paying for a product and having the right to complain if that product is not fit for purpose, this situation has got to be addressed and their is an increasing groundswell of demand for a change in attitude with student union leaders and activists being elected on mental health tickets and increasing numbers of legal challenges to academic and disciplinary exclusions on mental health grounds.
There has to be an especial attention paid to the mental health of students; they are an extremely vulnerable section of society – some adults in name only, in a new, stressful, pressured and potentially dangerous situation, away from all previous support – and making decisions that will affect their whole lives. The responsibilities that you have for ensuring their safety are many and multifaceted, the only way to be sure that you are doing all that you both should and can do is to take expert advice.
We can provide you with a full assessment of your existing governance and give you the relevant information to make it fit for purpose. We can also provide you and your people with interactive educational webinars developed around identifying and managing mental health in universities – and we can supply our service.
Psychiatry-UK can provide a complete online mental health risk management system for your university, designed around your needs and budget, and linked back into local primary care services. By giving us medical responsibility for your university’s mental health, you avoid all of the pitfalls of trying to manage these potentially explosive problems in house and gain the peace of mind of knowing that you are not just depending on local Primary Care and Emergency services to be there if things really go wrong. We carry international corporate medical indemnity for all those working in our service and working under our medical supervision.
If you would like to discuss this further, please complete our enquiry form or give us a call