Lib Dems call for overhaul of university mental health services

The Scottish Liberal Democrats have called for an overhaul of university mental health services after it emerged almost 2,000 students are on waiting lists.

Freedom of information requests from the party submitted to all Scotland’s universities revealed that on March 29 this year, at least 1,874 students were on counselling waiting lists.

This figure included 900 people at the University of Edinburgh alone.

The inquiries also showed that students in Glasgow have faced a wait of 141 days for service access, while those in Edinburgh waited 105 days at the longest.

Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said the current model of counselling should be investigated in order to improve the experience of students looking to access help for their mental health.

He said: “Students have had a rough deal; confined to halls during the pandemic, tackling exams in difficult circumstances, missing out on opportunities to find themselves and meet new friends.

“The Scottish Government needs to look at whether the current model of counselling is sufficient and whether more should be done to connect university services with the wider NHS.

“University mental health services will also need protecting from SNP/Green plans to make real-terms cuts to higher education.

“Scottish Liberal Democrats have called for new dedicated mental health staff in colleges, classrooms and GP surgeries across Scotland. The Government needs to stop treating people struggling with their mental health like second-class citizens.”

A spokesperson for Universities Scotland said: “Universities support all students with their mental health, and counselling is just one of many different forms of support.

“This isn’t about an overhaul of systems; it comes down to resource. The dedicated Government funding for university counsellors is an important part of the wider investment by universities in student mental health. Most of this comes from universities’ teaching grant which is under huge pressure.

“There’s a need for Scottish Government to confirm resources for mental health support, not least to deliver on its student mental health action plan that we expect to see in the new year.”

Higher and further education minister Jamie Hepburn said: “We know the period of lockdown has had a significant impact on student mental health. We are determined to support our students as we return to a more normal way of university and college life.

“Over the last three academic years the Scottish Government has invested more than £11.5 million to introduce more than 80 additional counsellors in colleges and universities and we are well on the way to achieving that.

“In addition, we provided an additional £4.4 million for colleges to help student and staff respond to the pandemic.

“We are developing a Student Mental Health Action Plan in association with representatives from student organisations and colleges and universities, as well as mental health experts.

“This plan will incorporate a wide range of initiatives to improve student mental health and wellbeing.”