There are the five cross-cutting themes to embed a whole university approach in your university.
These 'enablers' are:
- leadership
- co-production
- information
- inclusion
- research and innovation
Leadership
Strong and visible strategic leadership is essential.
Vice chancellors and senior leaders should commit to mental health as a strategic priority across all aspects of the university.
Co-production
Co-production with students and staff is at the core of the whole university approach.
Through co-production, students’ and staff unions and representative bodies have the opportunity to improve outcomes in a way that is non-adversarial.
No decision about me, without me.
Use co-production for:
- establishing a shared vision
- strategy development
- developing appreciation of the effects of mental health
- service design and evaluation
- quality assured peer support
Information
Sharing information between academic, professional services and support teams may be critical to identifying and helping students and staff in difficulty.
Sharing information with the NHS
Confidentiality is fundamental to safe and accessible mental health care.
At the same time, sharing information and records – under governed agreements – can help with potentially dangerous gaps in care.
Sharing information with families
It is good practice to use all available resources – including family or friends – to support those in mental distress or at risk of suicide.
Ideally, this should involve a conversation about consent to avoid the negative effects of someone losing control over their decisions or overriding privacy.
Where this is not possible, a well governed judgement may be made in the best interests of the person who is causing concern.
Read our guidance on sharing information to find out more.
Inclusion
We have to recognise that people face unequal challenges to their mental health.
This can include challenges that are:
- specific to higher education, such as students on placement, commuter students and postgraduate students
- personal, cultural and structural, such as staff who identify as LGBTQ+, experience racism or are care leavers
Actions for leaders
- Work with all students and all staff to understand their diverse needs
- Promote inclusive and safe cultures
- Develop targeted interventions
- Ensure that support services are responsive to different characteristics, backgrounds and experiences
- See these interventions not in terms of vulnerability, but as creating a more inclusive environment for the whole university community
Research and innovation
There are significant gaps in our knowledge of mental health and wellbeing in higher education. This includes:
- evidence of demand and need in student and staff populations
- effectiveness of interventions, especially early intervention and prevention
- emerging good practice in innovative services, approaches and use of technology
How every university can help
Every institution can be help by:
- embedding evaluation of interventions and services
- involving students and support staff in delivering research
- encouraging an evidence informed approach to designing interventions and services
- encouraging cross disciplinary approaches
- promoting collaboration and open sharing of findings and effective practice
- shaping national strategy and policy
Organisations supporting research
These research and innovation gaps are being addressed by a number of national research networks: