Agenda item

The Health and Social Care Scrutiny Board (5) received briefing notes of Coventry University and Warwick University on the approaches to student health and wellbeing at their Universities.

The Cabinet Member and Deputy Cabinet Member for Public Health, Sport and Wellbeing, and the Cabinet member for Education and Skills attended the meeting for this item of business.

Gemma Lavery, Director of Student Wellbeing, and Dan Wickenden, Student Wellbeing Operations Lead, from Coventry University and Dr Damien Homer, Deputy Director of Wellbeing and Student Support, from Warwick University also attended the meeting for this item of business.

Coventry University

Coventry University had implemented a whole University Student Support Model to meet the increasing scale and complexity of student wellbeing, disability, mental health, harassment, and safeguarding needs. The model ensured that support was accessible, proactive and consistent, while enabling the institution to meet sector expectations around duty of care, risk management, and regulatory compliance.

The briefing note and presentation highlighted:

·  A central triage function provided a single efficient point of entry for all student wellbeing concerns, enabling rapid, risk-based assessment and allocation to the most appropriate team.

·  Contracted services, including Spectrum Life and the university’s aligned GP practice, extended the institution’s clinical capacity by providing 24/7 helpline support, short term counselling and access to primary care, prescribing, and referral routes into NHS secondary mental health services.

·  Core values including student safety, prevention, empowerment, and compassionate, culturally competent care, shaped all service delivery.

·  An integrated and preventative approach that delivered significant benefits to students and the institution, including reduced escalation of preventable crises, improved student retention and engagement, stronger regulatory compliance, and enhanced confidence in student support across academic and professional services.

·  The model, underpinned by strategic pillars that prioritised collaboration across the University Group, NHS partners, and the Students’ Union, reflected Coventry University’s commitment to continually evolving its support for students. It actively promoted safe, responsive, and compassionate practice, helping the institution anticipate risk and remain forward looking in meeting national expectations within a changing sector landscape.

Warwick University

The university provided a broad range of services aimed at supporting both the mental and physical wellbeing of the student community.

The briefing note and presentation highlighted:

·  Wellbeing and Safeguarding Services

·  Student Funding Support which provided financial wellbeing advice and hardship support

·  Healthy lifestyles and preventative wellbeing

·  Access to NHS and health services

·  Areas where partnership working would be beneficial

·  Upcoming projects, innovation, and good practice

·  Continuing to develop initiatives that encouraged physical activity and social connection, recognising the important role these played in supporting both mental and physical health

In considering the briefing note the Board discussed issues, asked questions and received responses from officers and the Cabinet Member for on matters including:

·  Neuro-diverse students at Coventry University could register their needs with the University Medical Centre on campus with one-to-one appointments to discuss requirements. Lecturers were informed of any needs/reasonable adjustments required for their students

·  There were 15,000 students at Warwick University with wellbeing support being provided for 7,000 and 5,000 overall having received some help

·  Warwick University offered a Transition Programme for students diagnosed with autism and there was a Disabled Staff Network in place to share experiences

·  There were 2400 students at Coventry University that had disclosed a disability condition; however many more students’ wellbeing was being supported. Disability Discovery Days were available

·  It was important to work with both students and parents

·  Disability support guides were available for lecturers and a drop-in clinic offered weekly for academics; in addition all lecturers were offered training sessions.

·  Support for lecturers at Coventry University could also be sourced from the Campus Protection Team and Out of Hours Team

·  Social prescribing at both Universities had been a success

·  Both Universities were looking at better ways to engage students

·  It was recognised that some students had been affected by the Covid pandemic and had been socially isolated for a period of time that had had an impact on their wellbeing

·  7500 students lived on the Warwick University Campus for their first year with students in other years residing in accommodation off-site. Halls of residence advisors supported 1^st year students

·  Communication was key to ensure that any concerns about students’ wellbeing was fed into the services provided at the Universities

·  Coventry University fed into Spectrum Life which provided a 24/7 service

·  The services were extremely well used by students at both universities with duty provision supporting 1,000s on students each month

·  Observing trends helped to inform the provision of appropriate support and services

·  Adjustments could be made if a student requested it e.g. one to one support, and extra time in exams. To ensure that the right support was provided, a bespoke plan was put in place for each student’s needs

·  Further to the recent Meningitis outbreak in Kent, both Universities confirmed that they worked closely with Public Health and the Health Team and GP Team on Campus, on an on-going basis with the Resilience Group consulted when there was an outbreak for advice on further action that should be taken. Vaccination Programmes were communicated for all students arriving at University

·  The Director of Public Health and Wellbeing confirmed that health incident management would always include Universities

The Board requested that future reporting to them on student wellbeing should include details of the partners that the Universities engaged with.

RESOLVED that the Health and Social Care Scrutiny Board (5), having considered the information provided in the briefing notes by Coventry University and Warwick University, had no further recommendations for the appropriate Cabinet Member or partners.