Mental health of students in higher education

Appendix 3see this as a step forward as she has easy access to psychiatrists and otherNHS provision.Leeds UniversityThe Student Counselling Centre retains a consultant psychiatrist on asessional basis. The psychiatrist meets with the counselling team two orthree times a term to discuss patients and talk about appropriate communityand NHS referral sources for clients. Initial assessment and referral topsychiatric services are provided by the student’s GP. The psychiatrist isalso available for telephone consultation when needed. The Centre has alsodeveloped useful working relationships with the local early interventionservice for young people (ASPIRE). This service offers assessment andongoing support for young people who show signs of developing psychosisbetween the ages of 14–35 years. The Centre works closely with the localcrisis resolution team when dealing with students experiencing acute, severeor complex mental health problems, who are presenting with significant riskof harm to self or others, and who may require admission to hospital.Liverpool UniversityIn the past 5 years we have established a student mental health advisoryservice which has grown from 1 day per week in March 2003 to become afull-time service in September 2005. Our mental health advisor has madelinks with community-based mental health workers, crisis resolution teamand the early intervention team as a key part of her role. We have a studentmental health advisory group which meets three times a year to addressstudent mental health issues within the university as well as looking at howwe can develop links in the city. The group has made contact with key seniorstaff in the NHS to investigate encouraging the development of NHS servicesthat meet the needs of students.Glyndŵr UniversityA direct referral pathway has been set up with the First Access MentalHealth Team in Wrexham. This enables existing clients to be referred topsychological therapies for secondary care support. The First Access teamhas offered to come into the university to offer talks and sessions on mentalhealth days. We do not have direct access to a psychiatrist but we do have aline of communication with the CMHT and with the Llwyn y Groes psychiatricunit within which the psychiatrists are based.Staffordshire UniversityWe have had good contact with the crisis resolution service and particularlywith the early intervention service for psychosis, with whom we now meetonce per term.Royal College of Psychiatrists79