Higher education mental health implementation taskforce

The membership, meetings, terms of reference and outputs produced by this taskforce, which builds on best practice and ensures that guidance and key initiatives in student mental health are implemented in full, with clear measures for identifying progress.

Role

The taskforce’s original Terms of Reference asked it to focus on 4 priority areas:

  1. Develop a plan for better identification of students in need of mental health support and a clear user journey for accessing that support.

  2. Support the adoption of common principles and baselines for approaches across providers.

  3. Develop a ‘Compassionate Communication Statement’ for more sensitive student-facing policies, procedures and communications in the sector.

  4. Support sector engagement with the National Review of Higher Education Student Suicides.

Following extensive consultation the Taskforce has incorporated work on:

  • the relationship between HE and the NHS – promoting models of good practice and developing practical guidance to encourage collaboration between HE and NHS mental health services

  • learning and development for non-clinical staff – so they can respond to students with empathy and offer a clear pathway to more specialist services

  • case management - improved management and sharing of student information to enable coordination of support within higher education providers.

Output

Read the  HE mental health implementation taskforce: second stage report (PDF, 324 KB, 25 pages).

The second stage report sets out:

  • progress on its areas of work including the release of a Compassionate Communication Statement
  • next steps

The taskforce was extended to progress its work and deliver its additional areas of focus.

This follows the HE mental health implementation taskforce: first stage report (PDF, 418 KB, 31 pages).

Membership

Current members:

  • Professor Edward Peck, Chair

  • Professor Sir Louis Appleby, Chair of National Suicide Prevention Strategy Advisory Group

  • Mia Brady, student representative from Student Minds Student Advisory Committee

  • Dr Nicola Byrom, Network Leader, SMaRteN

  • Kathryn Cribbin, student representative from Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) student panel

  • Suzanne Carrie, Head of Student Equality and Welfare, Office for Students (OfS)

  • Ben Elger, Chief Executive, and Helen Megarry, Independent Adjudicator, both from The Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA)

  • Angela Halston, Senior Policy and Engagement Officer, Independent HE (IHE)

  • Jane Harris, Chair, Mental Wellbeing in Higher Education Expert Group (MWBHE)

  • Matt Lee, Head of Children and Young People’s Mental Health Policy, Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC)

  • Suzanne Carrie, Head of Student Equality and Welfare, Office for Students (OfS)

  • Dr Mark Shanahan, Member, The LEARN Network

  • Lee Fryatt, Co-founder, The LEARN Network

  • Jill Stevenson, Chair, Association of Managers of Student Services In Higher Education (AMOSSHE)

  • Dr Dominique Thompson, Clinical Advisor, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and Student Minds

  • Dominic Smithies, Head of Influencing & Communications, Student Minds

  • Professor Sir Steve West, Board Member, Universities UK (UUK)

  • Prathiba Chitsabesan, National Clinical Director for Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Mark Ewins, Head of Mental Health, NHS England

  • Kate Wicklow, Director of Policy & Strategy, GuildHE

  • Peter Mayhew-Smith, Group Principal and CEO at South Thames Colleges Group, representing Association of Colleges (AoC)

  • Polly Harrow, FE Student Support Champion

Terms of reference

Read the terms of reference (PDF, 183 KB, 4 pages).

Meeting minutes and papers produced

The taskforce was convened in July 2023 and will meet until May 2025.

19 April 2024 meeting

7 March 2024 meeting

2 February 2024 meeting

6 December 2023 meeting

1 November 2023 meeting

22 September 2023 meeting

18 July 2023 meeting

Contact details

HE.MentalHealth@education.gov.uk

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