_____________
Paisley Campus
Paisley
PA1 2BE
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Tel 0141 848 3000
Our ref: F19/140
5th July 2019
Dear Mr Conway
Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 - Information requested
Your request for information has been considered and the information is enclosed.
You requested the following information:-
1. For each of the past ten academic years (2008-09 to 2018-19), how many UWS
students have died while a student at the university?
Please note our records are available from academic year 2013/14.
2013/14
2014/15
2015/16
2016/17 2017/18 2018/19 to date
7
3
5
3
6
4
2. Please provide, if possible, a breakdown by gender for each year.
Year
M
F
2013/14
4
3
2014/15
3
0
2015/16
2
3
2016/17
3
0
2017/18
4
2
2018/19 (to date)
3
1
3. For each of the past ten academic years (2008-09 to 2018-19), how many UWS
students have committed suicide while a student at the university?
This information is exempt under Section 17 of the Act: Information not held.
We do not collect or hold records on the circumstances surrounding the death
of a student and we are therefore unable to provide the information.
4. The university’s rationale behind choosing to record or not to record student
suicides.
The University does not receive formal notification of the cause of death and
therefore we are not able to record it.
5. University policy regarding all actions the university take after a student commits
suicide.
The University’s involvement following any student death will vary dependent
on the individual circumstances of each case. All deaths in the student
community are particularly sensitive, often colleagues immediately involved
would meet to share Information, concerns, next steps and future plans.
The University’s priority is to acknowledge the family’s wishes and offer support
to all involved. This will generally involve assigning the family a single point of
contact to facilitate all interactions with the University, and sensitively
communicating in a range of ways with classmates, flatmates, and others in the
academic school or more widely to offer support.
Our Student Services staff and the Spiritual Care Team are available to offer help
and support to students and staff, as appropriate to the situation. Please find
link to “Supporting your Wellbeing” webpage here.
University staff also have access to a Health Assured Employee Assistance
Programme (EAP). EAPs are intended to help employees deal with issues that
might adversely impact their work performance, health, and wellbeing.
SafeTALK (NHS Scotland) is training which is intended as "suicide alertness" training. SafeTALK has been delivered to a number of staff and students already
and this is planned to continue. This will raise awareness further, increasing the
likelihood of anyone in a potential crisis situation being proactively offered
support and made aware of any other means of support available to them.
If you are not satisfied with the handling of your enquiry you have a right to review
under the Act as laid out in the notices below.
Yours sincerely
Freedom of Information Office
University of the West of Scotland
Notices
1. Right of Review
In the event that you are dissatisfied with the handling of your request for information, you may
require us to review our actions and decisions relating to your request (‘Review Request’).
Your Review Request must be made to us in writing or in other durable form, stating your
name and address for correspondence, specifying the request for information to which your
Review Request relates and the matters that have given rise to your dissatisfaction.
It must be provided to us within 40 working days (which phrase excludes Saturdays, Sundays,
Christmas Day and Scottish Bank Holidays) after the expiry of the period within which we were
obliged under the Act to respond to your request for information.
You may withdraw your Review Request by notice to us in writing at any time.
Assuming your Review Request is not withdrawn, we are required to conduct our review and
respond to you (‘Review Response’) within 20 working days (which phrase excludes
Saturdays, Sundays, Christmas Day and Scottish Bank Holidays) after the date on which we
received your Review Request. The request for review should be addressed to:
Emma Cuckow, University Solicitor, University of the West of Scotland, Paisley Campus,
Paisley, PA1 2BE Email:
xxxx.xxxxxx@xxx.xx.xx 2. Right of Appeal In the event that you have not withdrawn your Review Request and we have failed to respond
to you within the proscribed time, or you are dissatisfied with our Review Response, you may
apply to the Scottish Information Commissioner for a decision as to whether we have dealt
with your request in accordance with the Act (‘Appeal Application’).
Your Appeal Application must be made to the Scottish Information Commissioner in writing or
in other durable form, stating your name and address for correspondence, specifying the
request for information to which your Appeal Application relates and the matters that have
given rise to your dissatisfaction.
It must be provided to the Scottish Information Commissioner within six months after the date
you received our Review Response or, in the event that we did not provide you with a Review
Response within the proscribed time, within six months after the expiry of that period. The
address of the Scottish Information Commissioner is:
Scottish Information Commissioner, Kinburn Castle, Doubledykes Road, St Andrews, Fife,
KY16 9DS Tel 01334 464 610; Fax 01334 464 611; email:
xxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxxx; www.itspublicknowledge.info
