Who are the Student Mental Health and Wellbeing Team?

Mental Health & Wellbeing (MHWB) is a dedicated service for students who are experiencing personal, emotional or mental health difficulties that may be impacting on their studies. We provide a supportive and empathic space to discuss difficulties. We advise on what might help you feel better and work together with you to create a support plan.

Confidentiality and Data Protection

Mental Health & Wellbeing (MHWB) is a dedicated service for students who are experiencing personal, emotional or mental health difficulties that may be impacting on their studies. We provide a supportive and empathic space to discuss difficulties. We advise on what might help you feel better and work together with you to create a support plan.

Mental Health and Wellbeing Advisors keep written records of student appointments which are held on a secure database; the records are essential to ensure we are able to provide appropriate support to you.

Any information you give us is strictly confidential within our service. We do not pass on personal information about you to anyone outside the service (such as course team or placement staff).

There are exceptions to this rule:

1. Where you give us informed consent to disclose information within or external to the university; such as liaising with another support service within LSBU, your course team, your GP or Community Mental Health Teams.
2. If you share information with us that leads us to believe that you, or someone else, is at serious risk of harm, we may take steps to minimise this danger. Any action would usually be discussed with you first. It is important to emphasise that no one will be told who does not need to know.
3. If you become very unwell or are admitted to hospital as a result of your mental health we will inform your school and if you live in university accommodation, your halls team, to ensure they are aware of the reason for your absence. The information shared will be minimal and on a need to know basis to ensure that you receive sensitive support when you return to university.
4. Where we have a statutory obligation to break confidentiality or are permitted to do so under the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation).

Service improvement

We may contact you to gain feedback on our service and analyse the information you share with us to develop and improve our services to students, and to better understand student needs.

Supervision

The Mental Health and Wellbeing Team receive regular supervision for their work to ensure quality service provision. Your sessions with an advisor may be discussed in supervision, which is confidential and undertaken with an experienced practitioner and/ or the student mental health and wellbeing manager or Head of Wellbeing.

Concerns about safety on your course

If you are training to be a health or social care professional or teacher the University also has a duty of care to the members of the public. In exceptional circumstances, where a mental health and wellbeing advisor feels that the difficulties you are experiencing could impact on people in your care we would follow an agreed protocol with the relevant school to enable you to access additional and appropriate support which may include a referral to occupational health.

You would be included in and supported through this process wherever possible.

The University's Data Protection Policy and Privacy Notices, available on www.lsbu.ac.uk, provide further information about the lawful basis on which we operate, as well as your rights and how we protect your privacy. You have the right to request access to your data, to withdraw your consent and or to request the deletion of your personal data at any point by contacting the Data Protection Officer at dpa@lsbu.ac.uk. If you choose to withdraw consent or request the deletion of your data the University may not be able to put support in place for you.

I have read the content of this form, including how MHWB processes and shares my information; I acknowledge and consent to MHWB processing my information as described in this form. I acknowledge the expectations that MHWB has of me and I agree to be supported by MHWB according to the terms described above. I understand where to find other documents referenced in this form (such as the student data collection notice).

If you require this document in an alternative format, such as large print or braille,
please contact the Mental Health and Wellbeing team: studentwellbeing@lsbu.ac.uk or 0207 815 6454