Agenda item

This report asks the Health & Wellbeing Board (HWBB) to approve the publication and dissemination of the Student Health Needs Assessment (SHNA).

Annex B is available online.

Board members gave consideration to a report on the recently completed York Student Health Needs Assessment (SHNA). The report asked the Board to approve the publication and dissemination of the SHNA. The report also asked the Board to support the main recommendation from the SHNA which was the formation of a multi-agency partnership to continue to develop the student health agenda based on the SHNA findings.

In presenting the report, the Public Health Specialist Practitioner Advanced explained that the SHNA had been a valuable piece of work with a focus on those students attending higher education institutions. He reported that 15% of the population in York were students in further or higher education and that there had been 1827 survey responses. He gave a summary of the SHNA findings to the Board.

Board members welcomed the SHNA findings and made the following comments:

·        The Chair asked if, as a result of this piece of work, things were improving in relation to student health and it was confirmed that they were;

·        The health needs of international students were included within the needs assessment;

·        A Board member queried if the educational institutions in the city contributed financially to the police or health services for the increased demand on services from students. The Chair responded by saying that they didn’t necessarily do this but  the University of York and York St John University had spent money on supporting their students in other ways such as investing in student mental health services at the University of York and setting up a drop in centre at York St John University;

·        A Board member highlighted the findings for students’ mental health and the Public Health Specialist Practitioner Advanced advised that more detailed data on this was available;

·        A Board member asked if health services in the city received resources to support the 31,000 students in addition to the permanent York population. It was explained that GP surgeries received funding based on their practice population. The North Yorkshire Police Deputy Chief Constable explained that the funding formula for the police did not take into account the transient population and only included the permanent population;

·        The SHNA report had been distributed to key people in York’s educational institutions;

·        The Chair suggested that information could be provided during Freshers’ weeks. The Manager of Healthwatch York suggested that this could be picked up by Healthwatch York. It was further suggested that students who were campus community champions could present such information at Freshers’ weeks.

·        It was suggested that the HWBB (or representatives of) present the SHNA to the Higher York Board

·        For recommendation two in the report (re: formulating a multi-agency partnership) the HWBB felt that rather than setting up a wholly new body, the existing York Student Mental Health Network (YSMHN) could be re-purposed to address student health and wellbeing more broadly. This group already contained most of the key student health agencies in York. Links could also be made to other existing groups where appropriate.

Board members thanked the Public Health Specialist Practitioner Advanced for his report.

Resolved:       That the Health and Wellbeing Board:

1.   Approved the SHNA report for publication and dissemination;

2.   Supported a multi-agency partnership leading this work;

3.   Agreed to receive an annual report from the multi-agency partnership at the next Starting and Growing Well themed meeting;

4.   That the HWBB (or representatives thereof) present this report to the Higher York Board

Reason:         To keep the Health and Wellbeing Board up to date in relation to the work around student health needs.