The (UMHC) was created by Student Minds in partnership with leading higher education bodies and thousands of staff and students. 91ֱ�� was amongst the first group of universities to sign up as members of the , which brings together universities committed to making mental health a university-wide priority, to share practice and create cultural change. 

The is a voluntary accreditation scheme that supports universities to understand their areas of strength and development to inform ongoing improvement in mental health and wellbeing, recognising good practice along the way. 

As part of the assessment process, we conducted a robust, evidenced-based assessment of our whole-university approach against the principles of good practice within the , including any challenges, weaknesses, and areas of improvement. A self-assessment report, a student-led report and a two-day onsite visit from Student Minds which involved over 100 staff and students, were all part of the assessment process.

Overall, Student Minds stated: “in many areas we can be confident that the University is sector-leading” and that they were “encouraged that the University is going in the right direction.” Student Minds felt that “the University is largely doing well to meet the Principles of Good Practice and is doing an incredible job to work towards having a whole university approach to mental health.”   

In awarding the University with the UMHC Award, Student Minds highlighted several examples of excellent practice, including: 

• Within the External Partnerships and Pathways theme, Student Minds “were particularly impressed with the University ’s commitment to the partnership work across the Greater 91ֱ�� Universities Student Mental Health Service. This is widely being acknowledged as novel, innovative and sector leading.” 
• Within the Progression theme, Student Minds “recognised as excellent practice that the University now offers 3.5 years (versus the standard 3 years) of funding to funded PhD students in recognition of the positive impact of this on completion and PGR student wellbeing.” 
• Within the External Partnerships and Pathways theme, Student Minds noted that “the University is part of a sexual violence network across 91ֱ�� that includes the HEI’s, police, council, and NHS. This approach is potentially sector-leading and an example of excellent practice in developing external partnerships.”

Speaking about the UMHC Award, Sarah Littlejohn, Director of Campus Life and UMHC Lead said: “The UMHC Programme has given an additional focus and impetus to our existing institutional priority of student and staff mental health and wellbeing. It has helped to shine a light on our whole-University approach, encouraging us to reflect on our current practice across all the different framework themes. We are proud to have achieved the UMHC Award which marks the latest part of our journey in our commitment to continuous improvement around mental health and wellbeing, and our dedication to its ongoing development.” 

The University will continue as members of the UMHC Programme and will now start to use the Award Outcomes Report to inform and feed into our work in this area. Our priorities for the next 6-12 months will focus on the UMHC Framework themes of Student Voice and Participation, Learning, Teaching and Assessment and Inclusivity and Intersectionality. 

Aisha Akram, Wellbeing and Liberation Officer, University of Manchester Students’ Union commented: 'I'm really pleased that we have received this award and I particularly appreciate the commitment to including myself and my fellow officers at the Students Union within countless panel discussions, in order to ensure that the University's commitment to the student experience with our support service is driven by student feedback. 

“We will continue to work with the University to ensure that we all stay committed to working in this area and building on the recommendations offered to us. I'm excited to enhance collaboration between the Students’ Union and the University to push for the best possible student experience.”

Head of Colleague Wellbeing, Helen Brewis, said:  “I’m delighted we have achieved the UMHC Award, reflecting the commitment we place on the wellbeing of our students and colleagues and how we have worked as a whole university community on our approach to mental health.

"Over the last two years, we have significantly developed our approach to supporting our colleagues’ mental health and wellbeing. The process of working towards the award has helped us to reflect on what is working well and where we can do more. We look forward to using the recommendations from the Award Outcomes Report to continue developing our approach to promoting and supporting good mental health and wellbeing at work.” 

• For further information about UMHC Award holders, please visit the  
• For further information about the UMHC Programme, please email UniversityMHCharter@manchester.ac.uk.

"#BeeWell gives a voice to young people and highlights important issues that we’re facing in Greater 91ֱ�� like the previous survey finding that shows only 9 in every average classroom are getting enough sleep to concentrate in school," said Maria, a member of the #BeeWell Youth Steering Group. “I’m really looking forward to sharing my voice as part of this year's survey and encourage all year 10 students to do the same so that #BeeWell can act with us to create change.”

“We are excited to be working with partners to launch the third annual #BeeWell survey, especially this year as the programme is building on the success in Greater 91ֱ�� by expanding into Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton,” said Professor Jessica Deighton from The Anna Freud Centre. “We really look forward to hearing the voices of more young people across the country to understand more about what supports their wellbeing.” 

“It is crucial that we hear directly from the young people themselves in conversations about their wellbeing,” said David Gregson from The Gregson Family Foundation. “I’m delighted that such a high proportion of schools have committed to taking part in the #BeeWell survey this autumn. The feedback young people share, will give weight to the debate about their wellbeing, informing how we collectively act to deliver improvements.” 

For more information about the #BeeWell programme visit https://beewellprogramme.org or email beewell@manchester.ac.uk.  

The advice from Professor Sir Cary Cooper – one of the UK’s leading organisational psychologists – is published in a new report by the National Forum for Health and Wellbeing at Work and Alliance 91ֱ�� Business School (AMBS). It comes amidst the increasing prominence of wellbeing within policy, business and academic agendas.

According to , more than 800,000 workers suffered from work related stress and anxiety in 2020/21[1] and more than half reported that this was exacerbated by the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. However, this is not the only issue that has impacted the wellbeing of our workforce.

Experts from the National Forum for Health and Wellbeing highlight three additional trends that amplify the need for employers to demonstrate that they care about wellbeing. This includes the priority generation Z and millennials place on wellbeing compared to previous generations; the permanence of hybrid working models; and the increased focus from investors on environmental, social and governance indexes, which increasingly includes health and wellbeing considerations.

It is also argued that for employers to successfully implement a strategy that improves subjective wellbeing –how we feel, function and evaluate our lives – business leaders must focus as much on the measurement of wellbeing in the workplace as they do on implementation.

According to the report, Measuring Wellbeing For Healthy Workers and Organisations, it is important to differentiate subjective wellbeing from its underlying drivers, which includes external factors such as employment status, income and social networks, and internal factors such as health and self-esteem.

Sir Cary Cooper, co-chair of the National Forum for Health and Wellbeing at Work and Professor of Organisational Psychology at AMBS, said: “Placing health and wellbeing at the heart of a business strategy makes perfect sense - it will help to improve productivity, improve staff retention and reduce presenteeism. But implementing a strategy alone is not good enough. We must measure it too, and then use this data to drive further improvements in worker wellbeing.”

Report co-author Dr Richard Heron, former Vice President for Health at BP and lead for the metrics sub group at the National Forum for Health and Wellbeing at Work, added: “Successful CEOs and business leaders are intimately familiar with business metrics, profit and loss accounts and financial statements, and as workers we depend on this to keep a job in a going concern.

“But how familiar are they with the factors that increase or decrease the wellbeing accounts of their people? And why should they be just as interested in these as they are in financial measures from an organisational perspective?

“The evidence is increasingly clear that when leaders genuinely care about worker wellbeing, business outcomes of interest are better, whether they be long-term stock price, the ability to attract and retain talent or the robustness of safety and governance approaches.”

The report advises business leaders to choose metrics that are simple and easy to understand, drawn from robust data sources and relevant to both internal and external stakeholders. Subjective wellbeing assessments can then be integrated within existing, periodic employee surveys to provide a snapshot of employee sentiment.

Experts from the National Forum for Health and Wellbeing also suggest using local pilots to consult with employees and build stakeholder buy-in before rolling out wellbeing metrics across the wider organisation.

Sir Cary added: “There are so many factors within the workplace that can impact an individual’s wellbeing and their performance at work. And as the world around us continues to change it is important that business leaders look, learn and adapt to the way the world of work is evolving.

“We need to support our people. But there is not a one-size-fits-all solution, so to do so effectively we need to tailor our wellbeing strategies to our own organisations and most importantly, measure the impact of them. Only then will we truly be able to create a better working environment for our people and, in turn, improve productivity.”

To find out more, read the report .