Greater Manchester universities mental health service
The Greater Manchester university student mental health service is in the third year of a pilot service which was extended during the pandemic and is delivered by the Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust.
The Greater Manchester university student mental health service, having evaluated the pilot service, has successfully secured an additional two years funding and will move to refine the model, share the knowledge and learning of the pilot and work with higher education partners to develop their whole university approaches to mental health and wellbeing as was the ambition pre pandemic.
Since September 2019 this service has supported over 873 students, many of whom presented as very complex and who may not have previously accessed mental health services. The service continued to offer telephone, digital and face to face support throughout the pandemic.
The Greater Manchester university student mental health service provides expert support for students who have complex health needs – giving them timely access to professional help for conditions including psychosis, depression, personality disorders, trauma and eating disorders.
The sector leading Greater Manchester universities student mental health service provides expert support for students who have complex health needs. It gives them timely access to professional help for conditions including psychosis, depression, personality disorders, trauma and eating disorders. It aims to:
- Meet the increasing mental health needs of university students
- Prevent them “falling between the cracks” of university and NHS services at a time when they are often away from the support they may get at home.
Mental health doesn’t discriminate so neither should our mental health services. We need to make sure every single student has access to the appropriate help and support, as and when they need it. Professor Sandeep Ranote, Mental Health Lead, Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership
The Greater Manchester university student mental health service pilot is a partnership between:
- Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership
- Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
- Manchester Metropolitan University
- Royal Northern College of Music
- The University of Manchester
- University of Bolton
- University of Salford
Why this matters
Greater Manchester is home to around 100,000 university students – the largest number of any city region in England. Students say that it can be difficult to access NHS mental health services when they’re away from home. This can be due a variety of reasons including:
- not being registered with a GP practice
- not knowing where to ask for help.
- they’ve waited for an appointment which now falls during a holiday period
- they’ve moved address during or before treatment.
Leaving home to go to University is a hugely exciting time for young people. Most make the transition without needing mental health support but some students need help with the stresses and strains of academic life. The Greater Manchester Universities Mental Health Service plays a vitally important role in supporting young people who may be struggling and helping them to reach their ambitions. Tim McDougal, Deputy Director of Nursing and Governance at Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
How the service works
The service is provided by Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust from a main clinic in the heart of the Oxford Road campus and satellite locations in Salford and Bolton.
The staffing team includes a consultant psychiatrist, a consultant psychologist, psychological therapists and mental health nurses.
Students receive a standard assessment from their university’s welfare service and, if appropriate, they are referred on for more specialist intervention at the new centre.
As the mental health of a student improves and they have been discharged from NHS treatment they will be managed and supported by their university’s welfare service.