1 in 16 Report – Examining Mental Health Support in English Universities

Full Report: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uu4-X41CxDtqO-0V7jz-0vRidUYz0hD1/view

This report examines the level of mental health support in English universities and provides an insight into some of the many barriers faced by students when attempting to access mental health provision on campus.

Counselling Research

The report outlines recent research undertaken by Parliament on counselling levels in English universities. One in every 16 University students accessed counselling services in the last academic year, according to our new research undertaken by our Head of Campaigns, Danny Bowman.

The data, which was obtained under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act revealed that 67,504 university students attempted to access counselling services during the academic year 2018/2019. The research found on average around 1 in every 16 students attempted to access counselling services on campus with one university seeing over 20 per cent of all students enrolled attempting to access support.

The research found that Russel Group universities were amongst the highest for the total percentage of students attempting to access counselling services with four appearing in the top 20.

The research found that students were waiting on average 2.5 weeks to access support from referral to treatment. Although, there was huge variation in the waiting times for counselling amongst universities in England. 

The report’s author, Danny Bowman, director, Parliament Street think tank comments:

“This research provides a concerning insight into the number of students struggling at universities across England. It is increasingly worrying to see some of our leading universities in the Russel Group appearing amongst the highest for students seeking counselling support.

All universities have a moral obligation to make sure all students can access timely, quality and consistent support on campus. Far too often the support is not there meaning students who have reached out for support continue to suffer in silence and the consequences of that can be tragic

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