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<p>Mental health is a priority for this government which is why last week (17 June
2019) my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister announced measures which overhaul the
government’s approach to preventing mental illness. These measures include £1 million
to the Office of Students for a competition to find innovative new ways to support
mental health at universities and colleges.</p><p> </p><p>The Department for Education
is also working closely with Universities UK on embedding the Step Change programme,
which calls on higher education leaders to adopt mental health as a strategic priority
and take a whole-institution approach to embed a culture of good mental health practice.</p><p>
</p><p>The university Mental Health Charter announced in June 2018 will drive up standards
in promoting mental health and wellbeing, positive working environments and excellent
support for both students and staff.</p><p> </p><p>The Independent Review of the Concordat
to Support the Career Development of Researchers led by Professor Julia Buckingham
has recognised issues of wellbeing and the challenges that arise from the use of short
and fixed term contracts. Recommendations are currently under review and a revised
concordat is expected by the end of June.</p><p> </p><p>However, universities are
autonomous institutions and it is the responsibility of Vice Chancellors to give due
consideration to the way their policies and practises impact on staff. This includes
responsible use of performance management, workload models and other metrics to assure
both student and staff success.</p>
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