Mental Health Forum

Concerns raised:

Actions to follow from SSW:

Issues with the SSW in MI Building:

·     Lay out of SSW centre MI isn’t conductive to student mental health. Raised issues of privacy. When disclosing mental health conditions, the whole office can here, including students in the queue

·     Suggestion of private rooms like GP style set up. One student compared the current situation as disclosing your problems to a GP waiting room, rather than to your GP in a private, confidential room.

·     Raised issues of queuing in the same queue as everyone else, especially when anxious. The room raises anxiety levels

·     Students feel like the University has spent a lot of money on refurbishing canteens etc. and mental health support hasn’t been thought about. Feels like it has been dumped a building with space. Students said it feels like the University isn’t interested in investing in the mental health of their students

·     Student experienced being passed to pillar to post when declaring her mental health condition

·  Privacy screens to be put up in MI in the interim

·  Create a booking system on the website via SAMS for booking appointment for declaring mental health (this is not for crisis support) so the private room in the office can be booked

·  Triage system at reception so those experiencing mental distress are not sat in the queue

·  Make the online disclosure form easy to find on the website so there is a choice of how to disclose mental health

·  SSW Website; create a red button for disclosing mental health so the website is easy to navigate

·  Mass communication to staff on how students declare mental health to SSW

Raised the issue of if you develop a mental health problem during University, students and staff don’t know the procedure to declare to SSW. There are mixed messages and experiences of being passed to pillar to post.

·  Create a clear pathway for those who develop mental health in University which is available to both students and staff

·  Mass communication to staff on how students declare mental health to SSW

Students stated that the mental health service is a mess. Referred to the service like a tree with multiple branches and no one is sure of what is going on. Students felt they should start from scratch.

·  Mass communication to staff and students of support available and how to access

The suitable of the SSW drop in’s taking place in the SU was raised. SSW require more than one+ private room at a time. At one point 3 members MH practitioners required 3 separate confidential spaces to support students. An SU staff members ended up gave up their office to provide this space. Questioned if the SU is the correct place to run the drop in’s as space cannot be guaranteed.

Students felt like the SU that provide all the mental health support at University, the University do not do anything. Discussion around support available.

·     SSW to plan and deliver ongoing workshops throughout the year, not just during specific mental health days, such as a series of self-care workshops, delivering ‘supporting students in destress’ to students.

Students felt the 10 priorities are very vague and doesn’t specific how these will be achieved

·     SSW to add more information about how they will achieve these and what has already been done

Next forum to be arranged for beginning of April with a 5pm start. SU to explore holding forums at different campuses.