'We don't need reports that dodge the real issue - we need change'

A BEREAVED Bristol family have criticised a review into how universities handle situations where students are believed to have died by suicide.

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Some families described feeling that universities can be "evasive and reluctant" to answer important and painful questions relevant to prevention, according to the national review of higher education student suicides.

The study by experts at the National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Safety in Mental Health (NCISH) at the University of Manchester has called for a version of the "duty of candour" to be introduced to the higher education sector to ensure universities are open and transparent with bereaved families.

In 2023, the Department for Education (DfE) commissioned an independent national review of student suicide deaths, and incidents of non-fatal self-harm, at higher education institutions across England.

The review was informed of 107 suspected suicide deaths and 62 incidents of non-fatal self-harm among students during the 2023/2024 academic year.

Serious incident reports were submitted for 104 (62%) of these 79 (74%) reports of suspected suicide and 25 (40%) reports of incidents of non-fatal self-harm.