Mental Health

The request was successful.

Dear Universities,

I am writing to you under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to request the following information in regards to the mental heath resources at your university.

1. How many support service staff have been employed with a mental health remit (e.g. counselling, wellbeing) in each of the last 5 academic years. If a breakdown is not available for mental health staff, please provide a total for the closest possible category.

2. Budget for mental health support for each of the last 5 academic years, and where possible a breakdown on how that money is allocated, e.g. staff, marketing, equipment etc.

3. Number of students seeking mental health support in each of the last 5 academic years.

4. Average waiting time for mental health support in each of the last 5 academic years.

5. Any internal reports or reviews relating to mental health provision over the last 5 years.

Please provide the above information digitally, preferably in the form of an excel spreadsheet.

If it is not possible to provide the information requested due to the information exceeding the cost of compliance limits identified in Section 12, please provide advice and assistance, under your Section 16 obligations, as to how I can refine my request to be included in the scope of the Act.

In any case, if you can identify ways that my request could be refined please provide further advice and assistance to indicate this.

I look forward to your response within 20 working days, as stipulated by the Act.

If you have any queries please don’t hesitate to contact me and I will be happy to clarify what I am asking for.

Yours faithfully,

Kirsty Card

Tracey Crombie,

Dear Ms Card

I can confirm receipt of the request below, dated 7 December 2018. 

Your request is being dealt with under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and will be answered within twenty working days.  As such, you should expect to hear from the University in response by 9 January 2019, if, in the meantime, you have any queries about the request, please don’t hesitate to contact Jenny Foggin ([email address]).   

Kind regards

Tracey Crombie
PA to the Legal Adviser
University of Leeds
LS2 9JT
Tel:  0113 343 4078 (NB 8am-4pm)
Fax:  0113 343 3925

This communication is intended solely for the addressee, is strictly confidential and may also be legally privileged.  If you are not the addressee please do not read, print, re-transmit, store or act in reliance on it or any attachments.  Instead, please contact Tracey Crombie on the above telephone number.

Any liability (in negligence or otherwise) arising from any third party acting, or refraining from acting, on any information contained in this email is excluded.

It is the responsibility of the receiver of this email to ensure that any onward transmission or use of this email (including attachments) will not adversely affect their systems or data contained on their systems.  Receivers are advised to carry out virus checks.  The University of Leeds accepts no responsibility with regard to the communication or other use of this email.

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Tracey Crombie,

4 Attachments

Dear Ms Card

 

Further to your FOI request, please see below:

 

1. How many support service staff have been employed with a mental health
remit (e.g. counselling, wellbeing) in each of the last 5 academic years.
If a breakdown is not available for mental health staff, please provide a
total for the closest possible category.  Please see attached ‘Student
Counselling and Wellbeing Staff FTEs 2012 – 2018’. This does not include
information from the Disability Service, who employ Specialist Mentors
(first attachment).

 

2. Budget for mental health support for each of the last 5 academic years,
and where possible a breakdown on how that money is allocated, e.g. staff,
marketing, equipment etc. See attached spreadsheet (second attachment)

 

3. Number of students seeking mental health support in each of the last 5
academic years. Please see attached ‘Counselling and Mental Health demand
2010 to 2018’. This does not include support provided by the Disability
Service, who support students with mental health difficulties with regard
to academic engagement and achievement (third attachment).

 

4. Average waiting time for mental health support in each of the last 5
academic years. I’m afraid I don’t have this data – and waiting times
depend on a number of variables including student availability, holiday
periods, the type of appointment being offered (we have 6 different
categories of initial appointments). We aim to offer students an initial
appointment within 10 working days, however at peak times we can be
booking first appointments up to 4 weeks in advance, and on rare occasions
students have waited over 8 weeks, primarily due to requesting support
towards the end of term. We hold nearly 30 priority appointments weekly
for students, these are offered and booked within 48 hours of receipt of
registration, and we maintain continuous availability throughout the year.

 

5. Any internal reports or reviews relating to mental health provision
over the last 5 years.  Please see Student Support Update to University
Council from March 2018 (fourth attachment).  

 

I hope this is helpful in resolving your query. If you have any questions
about this email, however, please don't hesitate to contact me.

 

If you are unhappy with the service you have received in relation to your
request and wish to make a complaint or request a review of our decision,
you should write to or email directly Mr D Wardle, Deputy Secretary, The
University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT ([1][email address]). You
should do so within 40 working days of receiving the University’s response
to your request. Further information about how the University manages
Freedom of Information requests and about our complaints procedure is also
available on our website ([2]www.leeds.ac.uk).

 

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have
the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a
decision.  Generally, the ICO cannot make a decision unless you have
exhausted the review/complaints procedure provided by the University.  The
Information Commissioner can be contacted at:  Information Commissioner’s
Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.

 

Best wishes,

 

 

Tracey Crombie
PA to the Legal Adviser
University of Leeds
LS2 9JT
Tel:  0113 343 4078 (NB 8am-4pm)
Fax:  0113 343 3925

This communication is intended solely for the addressee, is strictly
confidential and may also be legally privileged.  If you are not the
addressee please do not read, print, re-transmit, store or act in reliance
on it or any attachments.  Instead, please contact Tracey Crombie on the
above telephone number.

Any liability (in negligence or otherwise) arising from any third party
acting, or refraining from acting, on any information contained in this
email is excluded.

It is the responsibility of the receiver of this email to ensure that any
onward transmission or use of this email (including attachments) will not
adversely affect their systems or data contained on their systems. 
Receivers are advised to carry out virus checks.  The University of Leeds
accepts no responsibility with regard to the communication or other use of
this email.

 

 

 

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