Mental wellbeing describes how we are feeling and how well we can cope with day-to-day life. It can change from moment to moment, day to day, month to month or year to year.
What affects someone’s mental wellbeing won’t necessarily affect others in the same way. But we all have times when we have low mental wellbeing, where we feel stressed, upset or find it difficult to cope. If we experience low mental wellbeing over a long period of time, we are more likely to develop a mental health problem.
Mental health
Mental health problems affect around one in four people. They range from common problems, such as depression and anxiety, to rarer problems such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Living with a mental health problem can often have an impact on day to day life, making things that others might not think about a bit more difficult.
We believe that all students and staff at the School should be able to talk freely about their mental health. Much like physical health, we all have it, and need to look after it to stay fit and well. Finding out more about the types of mental health problems can be helpful in making us feel more confident to talk to others.
What support is available?
If you are feeling distressed and need immediate help:
· Contact your doctor’s surgery and request an emergency appointment. If your surgery is not open, contact the NHS Out of Hours Service on 111 available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Calls are free from landlines and mobiles.
· Call the Samaritans on 116 123 available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Calls are free from landlines and mobiles.
· If you feel at immediate risk of harm to yourself, go straight to your nearest hospital Accident and Emergency department or call Emergency Services on 999.
· Call the Nightline service on 01179 266 266 available 8am-8pm during term time. Nightline is an anonymous service. Calls charged at your standard network rate.
Support for students
· You can speak to a Student Wellbeing Advisor from the School’s Student Support and Wellbeing team for advice and support. They can be contacted via email swellbeing@nfts.co.uk or via Facebook Workplace.
· Consider submitting extenuating circumstances if your studies have been/are being affected using the Schools Extenuating Circumstances Policy.
· Togetherall offers safe, anonymous online support 24/7, including peer and professional support
· Student Mindsis a national charity which aims to empower students to look after their own mental health, support others and create change.
Support for staff members
· Talk to your line manager. Particularly if your work has been or is being affected.
· Have an informal conversation with a member of the HR team or your trade union representative.
· All staff have access to the School’s Employee Assistance Programme where you can find online resources as an immediate source of support.
https://www.legalandgeneral.com/…/worklife-solutions/eap/
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Password is solutions
· Contact Citizens Advice for support and advice about discrimination at work.
· Access staff wellbeing tools via the Facebook Workplace Wellbeing Hub.
· Mental health at work guidance produced by Mind
· Time to Change provides advice and guidance for employees experiencing a mental health problem.
Other sources of support
· Report and Support for advice and reporting options for staff and students who have experienced bullying, assault, discrimination or harassment. You can also report witnessing these things happening to others.
· Mind is a national charity with local centres which provides information, support and guidance for anyone experiencing a mental health problem, or anyone who is supporting someone with a mental health problem.
· Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) offers support to men in the UK, of any age, who are down or in crisis via their helpline, webchat and website.
· Mind Out is a national mental health service run by and for the LGBTQ+ community.
