Perfect doesn’t exist and other lessons from developing a whole-university well-being strategy

Barely a day goes by without new research, or a news item, coming into our inboxes about the mental health crisis among young people and the growing burden on NHS and third-sector support services. This has been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic and the rising cost of living, which mean that UK university services are under greater pressure than ever before.

Alongside a recent debate in Parliament about universities having a statutory duty of care for their students, for senior leaders with responsibility for student well-being, it can feel overwhelming and, dare we say it, impossible to tackle at times. There is general agreement across the sector about the need to take a ”whole-university approach” to mental health and well-being and to embed this across our institutions. But this is much easier said than done.

• Why students and faculty alike need mental health first-aid training
• From cohort to community: how to support student-led initiatives
• You’re not alone: tips to help academics avoid social isolation

We are, therefore, sharing what we have learned over the past two years in shaping, alongside colleagues and students, our university’s approach to health and mental well-being, which we call “Be Well” at Bath.

1. Remember that there is no such thing as the perfect university, especially when it comes to the well-being of our community. Some stress, anxiety and obstacles are unavoidable and a part of life and work for our students and staff. These challenges will exist regardless of how much support is in place, how well we communicate our offer, and how much training we provide. Keeping this in mind means we can recognise how our strategies can improve our community’s experience, but also that we will not be able to solve every problem for everyone. Once you accept that fact, hopefully, it will lift the burden and enable you to define your objectives more clearly.
2. Developing a mental health and well-being strategy, and implementing it, is a journey. It might be a cliché, but it’s true. Even more of a challenge, this journey probably doesn’t have an endpoint. As we have mentioned, there is no such thing as perfect in this area of work, and so in reality we will be constantly reviewing our support offer, our practices and policies, and our culture. We will try to make improvements to enhance well-being dependent on ever-changing factors such as the type of courses we offer, our diverse community, societal changes and government guidance.
3. Recognise that no individual is the sole expert. This one might seem obvious, but it is essential to recognise that colleagues from across our institutions have expertise and experience that we need to tap into, listen to and use. We are talking not just about colleagues in professional mental-health and therapeutic services but also academics with experience and research in this area. At the University of Bath, we are fortunate to have colleagues with expertise in health, psychology and sociology, undertaking amazing research on these topics, which relates to our own communities and of which we need to make better use.
4. Remove siloes and join up your communities. Universities are often large organisations and can easily divide into siloes, which results in a lack of coordination and minimal sharing of best practices between those supporting students and those supporting staff. By linking up, we can share expertise and resources, avoid duplication and hopefully offer a more coherent vision for both students and staff (for example, our Be The Change – Tackling Harassment initiative). If we are going to ask our staff to help support students, then we need to make sure they also feel confident that they have the support and training to do this, as well as access to professional support themselves when needed.
5. Finally, don’t be afraid to try something new. Enabling different services to try new and innovative approaches to improving health and mental well-being won’t always be completely successful, but evaluating and recognising when things don’t work and changing course means nothing is a wasted process. Co-creating initiatives with students and staff is an excellent way of testing the waters; while Bath has done some of this, it is still a work in progress across our organisation. We are fortunate to have a small seed fund for colleagues to try out new student experience initiatives (such as MENtion it and Bereavement social group), which are often focused on mental health and well-being and are in line with our strategic objectives.

“Be Well” at Bath is an ongoing process, and we know there’s still a lot to do on our journey. However, so far it’s been valuable in bringing together a whole-institution approach, and we’ve learned so much. We hope these tips based on our experience will be valuable in your institution.

Ben Goose is the policy and programmes manager (student experience) and Cassie Wilson is pro vice-chancellor (student experience), both at the University of Bath.

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