Thank you to all of those who have contacted me about creating a statutory duty of care for university students.

Losing a loved one to suicide is devastating. My deepest sympathies go to the parents, family and friends of students who have taken their own lives while at university. Every suicide is a tragedy. It is a death that is preventable, and it represents the failure of structures intended to provide support to students in mental distress.

The gap between students’ expectations and the reality of mental health provision in universities is too great in my view. In a 2023 survey of around 4,000 students, The Tab, a student news site, found that only 12% thought their university handles the issue of student mental health well.

Approaches to mental health clearly vary among universities. Some have designed comprehensive strategies to ensure student welfare is central, which I want to see replicated across the sector. Best practice must be well-informed, widely applied, comprehensive and open to constant improvement to ensure students are well supported.

When asked about creating a statutory duty of care for university students, the Government said it believes this would be a “disproportionate response” because it is of the view that a general duty of care already exists.

My worry is that difficulties accessing mental health services are leaving young people vulnerable and exposed. I believe these services must be readily accessible through campuses, which is why I support calls for universities to be far more integrated into local national health service trusts.

I also support calls for a plan to guarantee NHS mental health treatment within a month; deliver open access mental health hubs for young people in every community with no need for referral; employ 8,500 new mental health staff; and provide access to a specialist mental health counsellor in schools.

I understand that an independent organisation is being asked to carry out a national review of student suicides. A new Higher Education Mental Health Implementation Taskforce is also set to publish a plan by May 2024 on improving mental health support, with an interim plan expected by the end of this year. I await their findings with interest and will follow developments closely.

Thank you once again to all of those who have contacted me about this important issue.