UCL commits to Mental Health Principles for Staff and Students

UCL Mental Health and Wellbeing Principles 

UCL was one of the very first universities to qualify for a University Mental Health Charter Award at the end of 2022. Following this, the University Mental Health Charter Oversight Group was created to provide institutional co-ordination and recommendations to build a ‘whole institution response’ to mental health and wellbeing. 

The group’s first task has been to develop a set of institutional principles to guide a strategic approach to student and staff mental health and wellbeing. Following extensive discussion and input from a wide range of group members (see below) these principles have now been published, setting the vision for what we want to achieve over the next five years. 

The principles focus on three key areas: 

• A whole university approach to building a healthy community. 
• Everyone can access the right support, at the right time, to meet their needs. 
• Continuously learning and improving the way we understand and support health and wellbeing across staff and students.

Download and read the principles here

Professor Alan Thompson, Pro Provost for London and Dean of the Faculty of Brain Sciences, said: 

“It has been a huge pleasure for me to chair this diverse and highly committed group of experts. Together we have agreed a set of principles with the potential to have a major impact on the mental health and wellbeing of our staff and students, complementing and interacting with the exciting work of the grand challenge in Mental Health and Wellbeing, led by Essi Viding and Argyris Strangaris. We now need to move to delivering tangible actions which make a real difference!” 

About the University Mental Health Charter Oversight Group 

The group is chaired by Professor Alan Thompson. It includes representation from: 

• Students’ Union UCL 
• Education and Student Experience  
• Student Support and Wellbeing 
• Equality, Diversity and Inclusion 
• Workplace Health 
• Health and Safety Services 
• UCL Doctoral School 
• Grand Challenges and academic staff including representatives from the PALS PsychUp Advisory Board 
• Office of the President & Provost 

The new Principles have been widely consulted on, including at People and Culture Committee, EDI Committee, Student Life Committee, Health and Safety Committee, Joint Consultative Negotiating Committee and Research Degree Committee. 

This work complements the significant programmes of work being led by individual teams, such as the Student Life Strategy. 

Next steps 

Teams across the university will look at what work is currently being undertaken, ascertain where gaps exist that could impact delivery of the principles, and consider how those gaps could be filled. These principles should be considered as a guide to longer-term culture change and will be embedded into everyday activities, highlighting the importance of promoting mental health and wellbeing and focusing on prevention initiatives. 

We will keep you updated with developments in this space as we work together to build on these principles to create a healthy community across the whole university.