Friday, 30 September 2022
The University of Nottingham has demonstrated its commitment to the health and wellbeing of its students by signing up to the University Mental Health Charter Programme.
The programme, run by Student Minds, the UK’s student mental health charity, brings together universities to share best practice in mental health provision and provides access to an online hub of resources and live workshops to help improve and develop strategy, policy and practice in mental health services.
Participation in the programme also allows HE institutions to work towards the Charter Award, an accreditation scheme that recognises those universities that demonstrate excellent approaches to student and staff mental health.
University is an incredibly exciting time of life but some aspects, such as living away from home for the first time, meeting new people, managing finances and dealing with existing mental health issues, can also be very stressful.
She added: "We are committed to supporting the wellbeing of our students and ensuring that they have the best experience while studying with us. By joining the University Mental Health Charter programme, we are offering our students the additional reassurance that the mental health support they need will be effective, consistent and driven by the very best practice from across the HE sector. We are proud to be associated with the charity Student Minds, which is a fantastic advocate for student mental health, and that its CEO Rosie Tressler is a Nottingham alumna and former Equal Opportunities and Welfare Officer at our Students’ Union.”
The university’s team of specialist professionals who offer help through its Mental Health Advisory Service support more than 1,000 of our students each year. Up to 300 short appointments are available every week for students to speak about a problem and to receive advice and support on accessing other services including our Counselling Service.
This service was expanded during the last academic year and provided support to more than 2300 students through a combination of one to one support and groups and workshops.
In Autumn 2021, the university implemented the Student Engagement Dashboard across the university, a welfare tool which tracks use of digital learning tools and in-person teaching attendance to help staff identify students who may require additional welfare or academic support.
Security staff, all of whom are trained in Mental Health First Aid, and the university’s Residential Experience team – who also receive training in Mental Health support - in its Halls of Residences are often the first port of call for students when they may need a little extra help. They are on hand to offer advice and, if needed, signpost them to further support.
Additionally, students can now access 24/7 clinical expertise and trained practitioners who can help with a range of mental health issues including anxiety and depression through the online platform Togetherall.
The Students’ Union provides support through their advice services, peer support campaigns – including their Reach Out and Check In campaign - and Nightline service, with the latter offering peer support from 7pm to 8am.
The University also hosts an inclusive Chaplaincy and Faith support team and a Disability Student Support Service, both of which are critical in supporting student mental health and wellbeing.
And the university continues to develop self-help resources and health improvement information and activities via its Healthy U campaign and mental health-boosting fitness activities with our colleagues in Sport.
MyWellbeing, an online hub for student wellbeing all in one place, is the latest development due to launch.
We are proud of the extensive range of mental health and wellbeing services that we offer our students. We continue to develop our support and invest £1 million every year into expertise, training and resources for us to take a holistic approach across the university with both proactive and reactive interventions.
The University Charter Programme was developed in consultation with staff and students, with initial funding from the UPP Foundation and the Office for Students and further funding from Jisc and the Charlie Watkins Foundation.
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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