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º£½ÇÖ±²¥ embarks on new mental health programme

º£½ÇÖ±²¥ is set to benefit from a new £1.5 million partnership launched today between Mind and Goldman Sachs to provide additional mental health support to students and staff.

In the first partnership of its kind, the Mentally Healthy Universities Programme will be delivered by Mind, the mental health charity committed to supporting and empowering anyone experiencing a mental health problem. The partnership reinforces º£½ÇÖ±²¥â€™s commitment to enhancing the wellbeing of the entire University community. The University offers a wide range of support services to students and staff on a range of mental health and wellbeing matters.

Funded by Goldman Sachs Gives, the programme aligns with the University’s strategic plans to provide a healthy university that enables everyone to reach their potential.

The new programme will reach over 8,000 students and staff across º£½ÇÖ±²¥ and the nine other participating universities in its first two years, providing support and specialist training.

There has been a growing recognition of the mental health challenges faced by the UK’s higher education sector in recent years and a concern that a number of mental health concerns and difficulties go unreported.

Goldman Sachs is a major recruiter of university graduates and its backing for this programme is part of broader efforts to improve mental health support in the workplace and wider communities. With a focus on students in their first and final years of study, the programme will address transitional moments in students’ lives that can bring added challenges and pressures.

The programme will help make sure that students at º£½ÇÖ±²¥ are equipped to manage their mental health and thrive at university, and have the knowledge and skills they need to build their own resilience. The training will include resilience training and workplace wellbeing workshops for final year students who are about to graduate.

Through the programme, º£½ÇÖ±²¥ also aims to reduce stigma and improve peer support for staff, and make positive changes to the way universities think and act about mental health.

Professor Mark Simpson, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Learning and Teaching) at º£½ÇÖ±²¥, said: 'We’re delighted to be part of this valuable new initiative and look forward to working with Mind and Goldman Sachs to further support our university community.

'Equipping students and staff with the tools and knowledge to support their mental health will enhance the university experience and provide vital skills for students’ future wellbeing.'

Paul Farmer, Chief Executive of Mind, added: 'We are really excited to be working with Goldman Sachs to better support thousands of university students and staff across England and Wales. We know that both students and staff face many pressures unique to the university environment.

'This timely opportunity allows us to deliver a programme that responds to the needs of university communities, building on good practice within the sector, to ensure everyone with a mental health problem receives support and respect.'