The University of Bedfordshire is proud to announce that it has been awarded the University Mental Health Charter Award by Student Minds, the UK’s student mental health charity.

This recognition is a testament to the University’s sustained commitment to student mental health and wellbeing, and is part of a national accreditation scheme developed by Student Minds in partnership with leading higher education bodies and thousands of staff and students, designed to recognise good practice and drive ongoing improvement across the sector.

Following an assessment and review of the University’s submission, the independent Award Panel unanimously agreed to upgrade the University’s status to full Award holder, after previously being part of the University Mental Health Charter Programme since 2021.

Key highlights from the Award Panel’s findings include:

Continued commitment to student wellbeing, even amid sector-wide financial pressures
Recruitment of new mental health staff, demonstrating the University's prioritisation of mental health support service
Improved monitoring of routine outcome measures, enhancing service effectiveness and clinical governance
Targeted engagement of male students through sport, addressing barriers to seeking help in this demographic
Introduction of additional academic support roles and tutors, addressing academic stress as a preventative measure
Use of MyEngagement data to identify early signs of student disengagement, supporting timely interventions
Health and Wellbeing team podcasts, offering accessible, creative mental health resources – highlighted as a potential case study for other institutions.

Professor Rebecca Bunting, Vice Chancellor, said: “We are proud to have achieved the University Mental Health Charter Award, which recognises the meaningful progress we’ve made in embedding a university-wide approach to the positive mental health and wellbeing of all our students and staff. This award reflects the commitment of our entire community to creating a supportive, inclusive environment for all, and we remain dedicated to building on this strong foundation.”

Find out more about the work that the University have been doing to achieve this award by clicking here.

For more information about the University Mental Health Charter and the work of Student Minds, visit: https://hub.studentminds.org.uk/university-mental-health-charter/