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 4 main areas of work for the taskforce are:

  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, including through charter memberships.
  3. Develop a ‘Student Commitment’ for more sensitive student-facing policies, procedures and communications in the sector.
  4. Support sector engagement with the national review of students suicides in higher education and explore methods for achieving greater timeliness and transparency on suicide data.

Terms of reference

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

Meeting minutes and papers produced

The taskforce plans to meet roughly every 6 weeks from July 2023 until May 2024.

2 February 2024 meeting

6 December 2023 meeting

1 November 2023 meeting

22 September 2023 meeting

18 July 2023 meeting

Output

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

The first stage report sets out:

  • progress to date
  • next steps for the 4 main areas of work
  • additional areas of focus

The taskforce is being extended to progress this work and deliver its additional areas of focus. It will produce a second stage report by July 2024 that shows:

  • how the taskforce has achieved its 4 main aims
  • outstanding work (not yet completed)
  • areas where additional interventions by and actions for further improvement are needed

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
  • Emma Douthwaite, Acting Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, 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)
  • Mark Shanahan, Co-founder, 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, from 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
  • Gordon McKenzie, CEO, GuildHE
  • Stuart Rimmer, Chief Executive at East Coast College, representing Association of Colleges (AoC)
  • Polly Harrow, FE Student Support Champion

Contact details

HE.MentalHealth@education.gov.uk

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