Benjamin Murray

@
Department
for Education

M E Voisin
HM Senior  Coroner
Area of Avon

By ema i I : AvonCoronersTeam@  bristo Lqcsx.qov. uk

,s

Department  for
Business, Energy
& lndustrial Strategy

Chris Skidmore MP
Minister  of State  for Universities,  Science,
Research  and lnnovation.

1 Victoria  Street
London
SWlH  OET

+44  (O)  20  7215  5000
www.  ed  ucation.  qov.  uk/hel  o/contactus
enouiries@beis.qov.uk

www.oov.uk

Your ref: 10743

KL-

July 2019

(t

Thank  you for providing  the Regulation  28 report,  dated  2 May 2019,  in relation  to Mr Benjamin
James  Charles Murray. This response is a joint one from the Department  for Education  and
Department  of Health  and Social Care. We understand  that your report was also  sent to the
University  of Bristol,  Universities UK,  UCAS,  Public  Health  England  and Student Minds.

We would like to say first how  much the circumstances  of Ben Murray's  death have  become  a
focus  for government  officials and colleagues  across  the higher  education sector  working on
mental  health  policy,  and that this focus has been greatly aided by the courage,  drive,  and ideas
of the Murray family. Those individuals  who have  been  involved  with the family in this work are
grateful  for the contribution  of Ben's father, James Murray, to support improvements  to mental
health guidance and provision  for students both  in Bristol  and further afield.

At the outset,  we would like to assure  you that mental health,  and suicide prevention,  are key
priorities for this Government. In January,  we published  the first Cross-Government  Suicide
Prevention  Workplan  which sets  out an ambitious programme  of work to reduce  suicides,
including  actions being taken  to improve  the mental health of university  students:
https://www.gov.uk/qovernmenUpublications/suicide-prevention-cross-ctovernment-plan

Under the Equality Act 2010  higher  education providers have  legal  responsibilities  to support
students  with mental health  conditions.  Through  the Department  for Education's latest guidance
to the Office for Students  (OfS)  on Student Experience,  the Department  for Education  asked  the
OfS to continue its work supporting student experience,  with a focus on wellbeing and mental
health.

Whilst it is for higher  education (HE) providers  to determine  what  welfare and counselling
services  they need to provide  to their students,  the government is proactive  in promoting  best
practice by the Higher  Education  sector.  The Department  for Education  is working closely  with

 Universities  UK on embedding  the Step  Change  programme  within the sector.  Step  Change
calls on higher education leaders to adopt  mental health  as a strategic priority throughout the
whole institution,  and embed  good mental health  practices  beyond  student services  teams.
The  OfS  has recently  announced  the award  of almost  €6  million  of funding  for ten large-scale
projects  encouraging  higher  education providers  to find new  ways of combating student mental
health  issues. The projects  involve  over 60 different universities,  colleges  and other
organisations  including  NHS services,  the police  and charities,  together contributing  an
additional  €8.5  million  in matched-funding  taking  the investment  up to f 14.Smillion.

The projects will address  one or more of the following areas:

education,  or from there into postgraduate  study or employment.

o  Transitions  - for all types of students,  whether  from school  or college  to higher
o  Early intervention  - by providing  new forms of mental  health  awareness  training  to staff
.  lmproving  support - for example by developing links between university  or college-level

and students;  or using data to improve  or enhance interventions.

support  services  and those  of local  primary  care  and mental health  services.

The University  of Bristol  is a partner  on one of the successful  funded projects  - the UWE
National  Leaming Collaborative bid. The OfS will communicate  the outcomes  widely so that
students  everywhere  can benefit from the work undertaken  by the programme.

Building  on this, in June  2019, the Prime  Minister  announced  an additional  f 1 million for the OfS
funding  for digital  and innovative  proposals  that drive improvements in mental  health  support
and early  intervention  for higher education students.  The programme  will fund proposals  that
promote  partnership  working between  the health  and higher  education sectors.
Further, the University  Mental  Health  Charter  announced in June 2018  is backed  by the
Government  and led by the sector, focusing on driving up standards in promoting  student  and
staff  mental  health  and wellbeing. Prospective  students  and their families  will be able to identify
providers who have succeeded in achieving  the standards  of the charter.  The government
expects  providers  to engage with the charter.

We will take the opportunity  to address  the concerns raised  in your report  in turn

Concern 1: You ask that consideration be given  to sharing  the University  of Bristol's  good
practice  on suicide prevention  throughout the sector. Both the Department  for Education  and
Department  of Health  and Social Care worked  with Universities  UK, the OfS and other
stakeholders  within  the higher  education sector,  to develop  guidance  on measures  to help
prevent  suicide.  The guidance  was published in September 2018, ahead  of the 2018119
academic  year, with every Universities UK member  receiving  a printed  version.  The'suicide-
Safer Universities'guidance  can be found here: https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/policv-and-
We

expect  all universities  to engage  actively  with the guidance  to improve  mental health  support
and reduce  suicide risks amongst  their student population.

The  guidance  was informed  by the University  of Bristol's  good practice  guide,  the 'Suicide
Prevention  Framework'as  well as other HE providers  approaches  to student mental health.  The
University  of Bristol's  Vice-Chancellor, Professor Hugh  Brady,  chaired  the Universities  UK-
Papyrus  Suicide  Safer Universities  Guidance  Working Group.  The  guidance  was launched by
Bristol at a Universities  UK Members  Conference in 2018 at which James Murray,  Ben's  father,
spoke. Papyrus  also worked  with James Murray to promote  take up of the guidance.

 We understand  that Universities  UK plan to re-launch  the guidance in July this year, which  will
include an updated  section  on 'Postvention', contributed by the Samaritans,  and a technology
supplement  co-authored by James Murray and digital  support  company,  Jisc.

Student  accommodation providers  also  have a role to play in supporting  student mental health,
particularly  to ensure  that frontline staff who are in contact  with students  are appropriately
trained  to support  students. British Property  Federation  guidance being  published  on Monday
(1517119) makes a number  of recommendations  to ensure  that student  accommodation
providers fulfil their  duty of care towards students.  This includes  guidance  on the legal
requirements  of accommodation providers,  mental  health  policies  and procedures,  and training
for staff. This training should include  guidance  on recognising  the signs of mental distress and
responding  to a crisis involving  student mental health,  and how to refer cases  to networks  of
appropriately  trained professionals, including  NHS mental health  services.

Concern  2: You raise the important  issue of mental health disclosure  to HE providers,  students
and advisers,  either  via the UCAS  application process  or direct  to the provider.
UCAS provides  a range of information  and advice  to all audiences in relation to mental health
and the support HE providers  can offer. HE providers  are responsible  for their  own admissions
processes,  however the government also has a role to play in promoting  an environment in
which  students  feel able to disclose a mental  health  condition  without concern  that this may  be
detrimental  to their chances  of either securing  an offer,  or thriving at that place of study.

Disclosure  at the point of application is designed  to ensure  that students  are supported  from the
very start of their journey  in higher  education;  to ensure  that they receive the support  from the
provider  right  through  from the application and interview  process  through  to their time studying.
UCAS  have  recorded  a year-on-year increase in mental health  disclosures in the admissions
process;  this is self-declared  and optional and students may also declare outside  the
admissions  process.

UCAS  is currently  reviewing  their'disability  and special needs'  question in UCAS Apply. This
will involve a cross-sector project with the Higher  Education  Statistics  Agency (HESA)  and
others,  as well as experts in this area. The current  question  forms part of the HESA  Student
Record, therefore  any change must  be joined  up.
It is anticipated  that any change  would be implemented  for the 2021 entry cycle  at the very
earliest.

UCAS have  been working  with the student mental  health  charity,  Student Minds, to develop and
improve their  existing  guidance. We understand  that they will respond  to you separately
providing  full details  of this.

Students  can experience pressures  in moving  from school/college  to University. The Education
Transitions Network was launched  in March  by the Department  for Education  to examine  ways
to help students  deal with the pressures  and challenges  that may arise when starting university.
More information  is available  on GOV.UK:
creates-new-stud e nt-menta  l-hea lth-tas  kfo rce.

rnment-

overnm

://www

The taskforce  group will develop measures  to make  a smooth  transition into higher  education
and help students maintain  good mental health. The network  will explore  ways in which to
increase  disclosure  at the point of application  to encourage  prospective  students  to declare
mental  health  problems  without  fear  that this will affect their admission  offer prospects.  This
builds on the work already underway  across  the sector to improve  support  for student mental
health. The network  is currently  developing its strategic  approach  to tackling risks to wellbeing
which  will be centred  on embedding quality-assured,  good practice  initiatives  across  the sector

 lmproving  information  sharing so that institutions  can get better at involving families and friends
in supporting  students in difficulty is part of the package  of measures  announced  at the Higher
Education  Mental  Health  Summit held  in June 2018. Universities  UK is leading  the work -
which is being chaired by Brunel Vice Chancellor  and incoming  Universities  UK President 

  - to develop  advice  on how higher  education providers  can get better  at involving
support  networks  at an early  stage when students  are struggling.  This work is approaching its
final stages  and will include  a consensus  statement  and guidance being  published before the
start of next academic  year.

Concern  3: You note that currently  the University  sector  does not carry out an investigation
report following  the death  of a student. We recognise  the value  of a written report  in order to
identify  lessons  learned  and develop  an action plan to preventing  future deaths, as well as the
value to the Coroner.

Universities  UK's'Suicide-safer  Universities'  guidance  on postvention,  developed in conjunction
with our Departments  and the Office for Students, recommends  carrying  out a serious incident
review to facilitate research,  data  collection  and monitoring  to get to the bottom  of what has
happened,  and the lessons  learned.  This also includes  sharing  experiences  of best practice  and
knowledge  with others.  As refened to above,  the guidance  was published in September  2018,
ahead  of the 2018119  academic  year, with every UUK member  receiving  a printed  version.  The
Universities  Minister  will work  with Universities  UK in the forthcoming academic  year to remind
Higher  Education  providers  of this recommendation  in the 2018 Universities UK guidance.

Public  Health  England  is happy  to work alongside partners  to support  the development  of a serious
incident  framework  to help ensure incidents  are identified  correctly, investigated  thoroughly and learned
from to reduce  the reoccurrence  of incidents.  ln 2017. DHSC  established  a national  Learning  from
Deaths  policy framework,  providing  guidance  to NHS providers  on how to investigate  and learn from
deaths,  and also, engage meaningfully  and  sensitively  with bereaved  families. There may  be much that
the university  sector,  working with Public  Health  England,  can take from this policy  area  to inform the
development  of any future framework.

Thank  you for writing  on this important  matter.

Chris  Skidmore
Minister  of State for Universities and Science

t

Jackie Doyle-Price
Parliamentary  Under-Secretary  of State for Mental Health, lnequalities and Suicide
Prevention

UCAS

Chief Executive
Clare Marchant

UCAS Ref: CM/BJ

12 July 2019 ;
Rosehill

_ New Barn Lane
Ms Voisin Cheltenham
The Coroner’s Court GL5231Z
Old Weston Road FSS
Flax Bourton t +44 (0)1242 544 990
BS48 1UL www.ucas.com

Sent by email
Dear Ms Voisin

Im writing in response to your letter of 2 May 2019, concerning the inquest into the tragic death
of Benjamin Murray on 5 May 2018.

In responding, | wanted to set out the actions that UCAS already takes to help young people
make well-informed choices about their futures, as well as the future steps that we are taking in
response to the issues you and others have raised, to encourage students to share information
about their mental health and wellbeing with universities.

UCAS is an independent charity, which delivers public benefit by helping everyone with the
potential to benefit from higher education to make well-informed decisions about their futures
and gain access to universities and educational establishments, regardless of their background.
This includes providing information and advice about a range of post-18 choices which include
apprenticeships, volunteering, and taking a gap year, as well as applying for university. Every
year, we help around 700,000 students apply for full-time undergraduate courses at nearly 400
UK universities and colleges.

We work with a wide range of organisations such as Student Minds, Unlock, the National
Association of Disability Practitioners (NADP), and Stand Alone, to offer tailored information and
advice to students who are likely to have specific information needs about applying and
progressing successfully to higher education. For example, we provide a student-facing
information and advice page focusing specifically on the health and wellbeing support available
at university or college, and another that deals with a variety of issues related to transition.
Furthermore, to support cohorts of students for whom we are aware that mental health is a
particular concern, we signpost them to relevant information, as seen on the UCAS estranged
students hub.

When students apply to universities and colleges, they complete an online application. This
includes mandatory information needed by higher education providers to decide whether or not
to offer the student a place (and on what basis), and also voluntary information which can be
used to support contextual admissions, provide specific student support, and is used for
equalities monitoring.

UCAS IS THE TRADING NAME OF THE
UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES
ADMISSIONS SERVICE.

REGISTERED IN ENGLAND AND
WALES: 2839815

(LIMITED BY GUARANTEE)
REGISTERED CHARITY IN ENGLAND
AND WALES: 1024741 AND.
SCOTLAND: SC038598
REGISTERED OFFICE AS ABOVE

Applicants are encouraged to declare if they have a disability, special need, or mental health
concern, so that universities’ student support teams are aware and offer additional help.
However, we understand from our work that it can be difficult for young people to self-declare
this type of personal, sensitive information. To address this, we have worked with organisations
such as Student Minds and the University Mental Health Advisers Network (UMHAN) to develop
additional content that reinforces the importance of declaring a mental health concern, explains
the benefits of doing so, and clarifies how this information is used by UCAS and the university or
college. We will continue to work with such organisations to ensure that our content is up-to-
date, and reaches our applicants in a timely and appropriate manner. Later in the application
process, when UCAS emails the applicant to confirm their place at university, we include
information about mental health and wellbeing to support their transition to the next stage.

To further support young people who declare a mental health condition on the application, we
encourage teachers and advisers (with the consent of the student) to use the reference section
of the application to advise universities and colleges of any issues, such as physical or mental
health. To ensure that advisers themselves are aware of why it is important for their students to
declare a mental health condition, we signpost Student Minds’ Know Before You Go and
Transitions resources on our adviser-facing pages. In addition, we regularly address student
wellbeing and mental health at our teacher and adviser, and provider events, working with
stakeholders such as AMOSSHE and Student Minds to ensure all involved in the application
process are aware of good practice and the most up-to-date information available.

Our data shows that there has been a significant uplift in the number of applicants self-declaring
a mental health concern in their UCAS application in recent years. Since 2014, this number has
increased from 7,433 to 17,520 (2.5% of total applicants), which may be a response to the
greater encouragement given from a wide range of organisations and individuals to open up the
conversation about mental health.

However, we understand from our engagement with students and stakeholders, that some
students still withhold this information, possibly due to the fear of stigmatisation, as well as an
uncertainty about how the information will be used; applicants may not appreciate how this
information could help universities and colleges to support them. Consequently, we are
undertaking a number of additional activities to respond to these concerns.

As part of a wider programme of business change, we are redeveloping our online application for
undergraduate students. This affords us the opportunity to work with organisations such as
Student Minds and the UMHAN to redesign how we ask for information about disabilities, special
needs, or mental health issues — and the help text that supports this. To understand the most
appropriate and effective way in which to redesign this question, we’re holding a roundtable
discussion on 30 July with representatives from sector bodies and expert organisations, the
result of which will be in place in 2020, for the 2021 entry cycle.

Alongside the new application service, we have developed the UCAS Hub —a new online
information and advice tool to support students through every step of their decision-making
journey, which surfaces the right information at the right time, based on their expressed
preferences and interests. The first version of this will go live this autumn. We are exploring how
the UCAS Hub could help strengthen the messaging about all aspects of applying and going to
university to alleviate anxiety during the application process, as well as regularly signposting the
support services and experts who can offer help once they have made the transition.

Additionally, UCAS is a core member of the Department for Education’s new taskforce, the
Education Transitions Network. We hope that this network will help to create a collaborative and
consistent approach to addressing the challenges of student mental health in higher education.

| hope this has clarified how we have been working to support young students as they consider
their post-18 options, and explained how we are seeking to improve the connection between
applicants and higher education providers in the future. Also, | hope this overview of the work
UCAS is undertaking to support those with mental health concerns illustrates our ongoing
commitment to this important agenda. We will continue to engage with stakeholders as we seek
to improve the experience of students transitioning into higher education and would be happy to
work further with you directly on this matter.

Yours sincerely

Me Mok

Clare Marchant
Chief Executive

ae University of
BRISTOL

HM Senior Coroner Professor Hugh Brady
Vice-Chancellor and President
Area of Avon University of Bristot
The Coroner’s Court Vice-Chancellor’s Office
Beacon House
Old Weston Road Queen’s Road
Flax Bourton Bristol BS8 1QU UK
T +44 (0)117 42 83183
BS48 1UL www. bristol.ac.uk
11 July 2019 es
Dear Madam

Re: University of Bristol response to Requlation 28 Report
Thank you for your report dated 2 May 2019.

In respect of the concerns outlined in your report:
1. Sharing Changes to University Practices with the Sector:

As you will be aware from evidence provided by the University for recent inquests, the
University has carried out significant changes to its Support Services over the last two
years. This has involved significant investment and continuing review of processes and
structures for supporting students.

The University has collaborated with other Universities, Mr James Murray and the charity
Papyrus through the forum of Universities UK to produce a guide entitled “Suicide Safer
Universities”. The guide describes the University’s ongoing collaboration with Public Health
England and Bristol City Council (as the lead organisations for suicide prevention in the
general population) to develop a suicide prevention policy which has now been published.
The University has shared its mental health and wellbeing strategies with sector
colleagues, and provided support to other institutions where student deaths have occurred,
As the issue of student mental health is a serious ongoing issue, the University will continue
to share information on best practices with other universities, Public Health England,
student representatives and local authorities

2. Pre-registration Mental Health Disclosure
The University notes the Learned Coroner's concern at the potential for applicants to feel
any declaration of mental health difficulties may adversely affect their application to

Universities.

In addition to disclosures made by applicants on their UCAS forms, the University
communicates with prospective students prior to enrolment and encourages them to

contact Disability Services about any mental health or other disabilities to ensure they can
access appropriate support.

The University is supporting UCAS in its endeavours to find alternative ways of encouraging
declarations and reducing the barriers to declarations about extenuating or mitigating
circumstances as well as any mental health concerns, or other disabilities.

The University also provides regular prompts to applicants and students during their time
at the University about the benefits of disclosing any mental health difficulties and
reassures them that this will have no impact on their application or studies but will be used
to support them.

Our Accommodation Office sends a pre-arrival online induction to students. This covers
important accommodation information (fire safety, recycling etc), and also introduces
students to the Residential Life team and the support services available.

In this induction we also ask students to answer one question about how they are feeling
about coming to university; excited, nervous but looking forward to it, or really
apprehensive/worried. We use this information to ensure that the Residential Life Team
have additional information about students who may require additional support.

3. Formal University Process for Reviewing Student Deaths

The University currently convenes a standing committee (the Suicide Prevention and
Response Group (SPRG)) quarterly to maintain oversight of policies and practice relating
to student suicides. When there has been a student death the group puts in place an
Incident Response Team which meets regularly following the event to co-ordinate internal
and external communications, plan for provision of support for those students and members
of staff who have been affected, liaise with relevant family members, and act as a
mechanism for collating relevant information.

Together with colleagues from the University of the West of England and Public Health
England, the SPRG has undertaken an audit of student deaths by suicide to identify
possible factors that can inform prevention strategies.

As part of its role from September 2019 the SPRG will oversee the undertaking of a serious
incident review for every suicide or serious attempted suicide involving a high mortality
method or admission to intensive care. This will be based on practice in the NHS and other
HEls. An incident review report will include relevant information about the student, their
interactions with the University and noting what went well in providing support and where
there is possibility for improvement. Should a death occur, information gathered about the
student will also be added to our suicide audit tool which aims to identify any trends over
time that may inform future suicide prevention. It will also form the basis of information
provided to assist with Coroner's Inquests.

Yours sincerely

Mg ta,

Professor Hugh Brady
Vice Chancellor & President
University of Bristol