Flat fights, drunken accidents and drug overdoses are all situations that staff at the University of Aberdeen’s Hillhead student accommodation are trained to deal with in their work.
But what they are not sufficiently prepared or trained for is to deal with the scale of the serious mental health problems and the risks of serious self-harm that exist in the corridors, says one member of staff.
They have spoken to P&J to shed light on what they allege is a significant lack of support for staff in dealing with students experiencing major crises.
The source told us of a number of alleged alarming incidents in the hallways, including this one that occurred early in her job: “I was talking to my colleagues and one of them turned to me and said, ‘We usually have two different people who are very suicidal on campus.
“But this year there will probably be six or seven.”
“I remember thinking, ‘I didn’t sign up for this.’
“And I almost felt like I had been tricked into taking this job. I don’t think I was told in detail everything I would have to deal with and what was going on.”
They say more needs to be done to help those with mental health problems in Hillhead accommodation, telling us:
- Stories of self-harm episodes being reduced and sometimes landing patients in A&E, or of colleagues providing urgent advice using “flashcards”
- Personnel who have to take care of alarming and dangerous elements
- An alleged lack of staff training, dangerous solitary work and high staff turnover
Relying on flashcards to try to help a student at risk of self-harm
Situations involving suicide or self-harm that Hillhead staff would be required to respond to would occur at least once a week, the complainant alleges.
As staff only receive mandatory first aid training, inexperienced workers can often find themselves with little protection and ill-equipped to handle high-risk situations.
This problem, the whistleblower says, is further reinforced by high staff turnover within teams, reduced staff numbers and solitary work becoming “an integral part” of the job.
The danger of this lack of sufficient training became apparent during a late-night phone call.
Picking up the phone in the office, believing it was a pocket call, our source found himself speaking to a distressed student.
The student, who had been identified by the services as being in a vulnerable condition, was at risk of self-harm.
Feeling at a loss, the whistleblower relied on his wits and frantically wrote down advice on flashcards from a more experienced colleague.
“My colleague withheld some suggestions from me and at times I simply improvised.”
Fortunately, the situation calmed down, but while the student was followed up, no one contacted the staff involved, which surprised and worried the source.
“It is a difficult time to be a student and a young person”
Like many other universities, the University of Aberdeen is experiencing an increasing number of students seeking mental health support.
Among the main culprits suspected of contributing to this are Covid and the cost of living crisis.
University of Aberdeen Nicholas EdwardsHead of Student Support Services and Assistant Director of People, gave us an insight into what is being done to help support students and staff.
Following the pandemic, Mr Edwards said there has been an increase in “crisis” situations.
Typically this involves students who have not accessed support before, but following an incident may require urgent support from staff teams.
Mr Edwards added: “This could be due to a variety of different factors.
“But I would say that the general underlying view among students is that it is a difficult time to be a student and a young person.
“That, combined with more people feeling able to ask for help, with more things that help is needed with, including things like social media and the effects of the pandemic, has created the perfect storm for mental health.”
One in five Scottish students reported having thought about or attempted self-harm
Mental health absences in Scottish universities account for 40% of their staff and students between 2017/18 and 2021/22.
Unfortunately, it hasn’t just been about people taking time off.
In it Mental Health Foundation Thriving Learners Survey 2021One in five Scottish university students admitted to having thought about or attempted suicide in the previous six months.
In Accommodation in Hillhead On Don Street, where around 2,000 students live, there were four attempts last year, the complainant claims.
“Those are the known ones. It’s always scary when you don’t know anything and they try to do it.
“That’s always worrying because it wasn’t on your radar.”
Students handing out alarming items to staff
The whistleblower also highlighted other occasions where he felt there was no adequate follow-up for staff.
They included one where a student was found having an episode after self-harming and another where an injured student had to be taken to the emergency room.
Dangerous items associated with self-harm by students have also sometimes been given to staff to keep them out of sight.
Sometimes notes containing evidence of significant mental health issues are also passed on for safekeeping.
The problem, the complainant alleges, is that there is no protocol for these items to which the students had a “powerful emotional attachment.”
So when the students asked for their books back, they say staff were left worried and unsure of the next steps.
When asked about these situations, head of student support services Mr Edwards said staff should always seek guidance from a senior staff member who should be on-site or on call.
She said staff have access to counselling services, the human resources team and a 24/7 support line. Following a “crisis” incident, this support should be reiterated to staff.
Mr Edwards said that while staff training differs depending on the position, there is a standard of training they are required to complete.
For those working in care homes, this includes crisis management processes and early intervention risk assessment training provided by the charity. Emily’s test.
Concern over service collapse
The source said: “The teams really care a lot about the students.
“They care about the role, the work and the students, but it’s just exhausting.
“I think my biggest problem is that the necessary services are failing because there is no support from the staff.
“Then something happens and the only ones to blame are those who could have made a difference.”
As more young adults arrive at college with existing mental health issues, the question arises as to how much responsibility colleges take for their well-being.
Especially when universities struggle with tight budgets and Last year, government funding for counselling was cut.
What can the University of Aberdeen do?
However, the whistleblower maintains that more can still be done with existing services.
They added: “One of the things Aberdeen Uni can start doing now is developing a strong relationship with other support services and working together.
“Nine times out of ten, that student is not only seeing you, but they are seeing other people… People are not aware of what is going on and things are missed or misinterpreted.
“I think if they really cared, there would be greater levels of support not only for staff but also for students and they would have a greater understanding of the students’ situation.
“They know the stories that happen.
“There are too many accidents and risky situations… How is it possible that nothing is being done? What is needed?”
University of Aberdeen: “We want to take any feedback from staff seriously”
Responding to criticism about the need for services to work better together, the university’s Mr Edwards said: “I would say we have never had a more collaborative approach to delivering support.
“Over the past 12 months, we have introduced new procedures and protocols to ensure consistency in support for students and ensure staff members understand the boundaries of their expected roles.”
The head of student support services added: “We want to take any feedback from staff seriously.
“One of the key messages I have for students and staff is to know where they can go for support when they need it and to make sure they know what is expected of them.
“They are not expected to address these situations alone.”
If you are experiencing mental health issues, help is always available. Talk to Samaritans free of charge on their 24-hour helpline 116 123 or if you are under 19 call Childline on 0800 1111
