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Today, we tuned in to the new government’s Autumn Budget, keen to hear about changes that will be made to support our 2.8 million students in UK higher education. This follows years of financial hardship, insufficient maintenance funding, and a spiralling cost-of-living crisis which saw students skipping meals, unable to buy necessary study supplies, and suffering through cold winters without heating and suitable housing. Student finances are a student mental health issue, with financial difficulties being a predictor for greater mental illness among the student population. Pay increases for many studentsWe strongly welcome the government’s progress in bringing pay equity to many students, narrowing the gap between the national minimum wage and living wage for 18-20 year-olds. This, combined with an increase in the national minimum wage for both age brackets, will help students in part-time work make ends meet. This is significant progress toward our Student Mental Health Manifesto recommendation for everyone aged 18 and over to be entitled to the same national minimum wage and for the government to increase this minimum wage in line with the Real Living Wage. With a long-term plan confirmed to achieve a single adult minimum wage, we’re looking forward to further progress in future. Budget increase for the NHSWe also welcome the news of a total £22.6bn budget increase for the NHS. The Lord Darzi review showed the critical state of our health service. Its findings reaffirmed much of what our students have told us about spending years on waiting lists and becoming more and more unwell as a result. On top of this, students in healthcare disciplines are currently providing hundreds of hours of free labour to our National Health Service, which in turn limits their ability to take up paid, part-time work. We are keen to hear more details of how this money will be spent and in particular, what investment will be made into mental health support. We want to see higher staffing levels with reasonable workloads for NHS workers, specialist support for students, and bursaries for healthcare students on placement. A higher education sector in financial turmoilDespite this, there was no specific mention of the higher education sector or students within the budget. We know the government has a lot to do but universities need financial support, and they need it now. Our world-leading institutions are facing a financial sustainability crisis, with students and staff paying the price. Student maintenance funding continues to be compromised by years of real-terms cuts without any relief in sight. Forgetting about students is an expensive mistakeStudents are not a small demographic. One in two school-leavers go on to study at university and millions more are university graduates. Students are our future social workers, teachers, scientists, doctors, and leaders. Everyone knows someone in higher education, be it a friend, family member, or co-worker. It’s not just wrong to forget students, it doesn’t make economic sense. Mental health concerns are the single biggest cause of long-term sickness in the workforce and cost the UK economy £300bn per year. We need our students to be well supported not just so they succeed at university, but they can thrive in our wider society. When doing the right thing also saves money, it’s a no-brainer. Rising transport costs add to everyday expensesFinally, we heard how the price cap for bus fees is increasing from £2 to £3 for a single fare. At a time when students are already being forced to cut back on the essentials - and indeed, where we should be focusing on cutting emissions and encouraging sustainable modes of transport - this is a step in the wrong direction. Only 18% of students who commute by necessity receive any money from student support funds or grants to alleviate these costs - meaning more than four in five could be directly affected by this change. We’ll keep putting you firstWe’ll keep advocating for student’s interests, including tackling the economic factors that drive poor student mental health. We need the government to meet us halfway and properly fund mental health services and higher education institutions. You can find out more about our Student Mental Health Manifesto or how to get involved with our work.
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Student Minds collaborates with Mind Data to enhance mental health support for university students18/10/2024 Student Minds, the UK’s student mental health charity is proud to announce a new collaboration with Mind Data, a pioneering platform in digital mental health support. Together, we are working to provide students with accessible, tailored and clinically approved wellbeing resources, empowering them to manage their wellbeing with the help of data-driven insights and expert guidance from Student Space. Student Space by Student Minds makes it easier for students and supporters to find the support that they need, with a range of trusted information, services and tools to help manage the uncertainty of student life. This exciting collaboration allows Student Minds to integrate our Student Space resources into the Mind Data platform, which offers students an innovative digital journal to record and track their thoughts and emotions. Through this collaboration, students using the Mind Data platform can access relevant Student Space articles based on their journal entries, providing them with the information and support they need, when they need it. The Mind Data platform securely analyses users' journal entries to provide insights that enhance self-awareness and enable mental health professionals to offer more informed, personalised care. With the addition of Student Space resources, students will now benefit from both real-time emotional tracking from Mind Data and expert resources from Student Minds, creating a comprehensive, proactive approach to mental health support. "Empowering students to build their own mental health toolkit is one of our priorities at Student Minds and our work with Mind Data will help do just that. By combining their data-driven platform with our reliable Student Space resources, we can provide students with timely and relevant advice to support them through the uncertainty of student life." Izzy Watkins, Senior Programme Manager (Student Space) at Student Minds "I'm excited about the potential this collaborative work will bring to improving the mental wellbeing of students. As someone who struggled with suicidal depression during my own university years, this collaboration is deeply personal. By combining our innovative platform with Student Minds' world-class resources, we can intelligently deliver support in a timely and targeted way, ensuring that students get the help they need when they need it most." Sean Ruane, Founder & CEO of Mind Data For more information, please visit Mind Data's website. About Mind DataMind Data exists to transform the way mental health support is accessed and delivered. Their platform offers an easy-to-use digital journal for individuals to record their thoughts and emotions. This data is then analysed to offer insights that empower both users and mental health professionals. By improving self-awareness and helping practitioners offer more informed support, Mind Data aims to make mental health care more proactive and personalised, ultimately contributing to the improved wellbeing of one million people globally. About Student SpaceStudent Space is run by Student Minds, the UK’s student mental health charity. Student Space is here to make it easier for students and supporters to find the support that they need. However, students are feeling, help and guidance are available. Explore a range of trusted information, services and tools to help you with the uncertainty of student life.
There are three ways that Student Space is here to help:
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November 2024
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