De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) has reaffirmed its commitment to championing mental health issues on University Mental Health Day, February 18.
Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dominic Shellard, and De Montfort Students' Union Vice-President Welfare and Education Rebecca Robson have signed the Leicestershire and Rutland Mental Health Charter to show DMU’s support for those with mental health problems.
The charter, which was drawn up by councils, primary care trusts and NHS trusts across Leicestershire and Rutland, sets out an organisation's commitments to support those with mental health highlighting a recovery-based approach.
Highlighting consistent good practice, the charter sets out the values which our mental health support services will work from, and what people can expect from the university.
Rebecca and Professor Shellard were joined by DMU's Head of Student Welfare Phil Scarffe, Katherine Weston and Katie Knowles from DSU's Welfare and Education team and Emma Wright, Volunteering Societies Co-ordinator.
Professor Shellard said: "I believe that everyone in the UK has the right to mental health care. Statistics show that a majority of people will need support for their mental health. There is an unfortunate stigma around mental health, something which DMU utterly rejects. This is why it is so important to sign this charter and affirm our support.”
Rebecca said: "Everyone has mental health, just like they have physical health, and just like you can slip and injure yourself physically, the same is true of your mental health.
"Initiatives like the Mental Health Charter are so important in ensuring organisations take the mental wellbeing of their staff and service users as seriously as they take their physical wellbeing, and it’s great to see DMU and DSU working together on such an important task."
Previous signatories of the charter include Leicestershire Police, the East Midlands Ambulance Service and Leicester City Council.
Posted on Wednesday 18 February 2015