1. NHS Lothian Mental Health and Well Being Team
8S: Promoting Mental Health and Well Being with Colleges and Universities in Lothian - a public health approach with transient populations
Rachel King
NHS Lothian Mental Health and Well Being Team

2. Protective and Risk Factors of the Setting
Protective: time to reflect; learning good for body, brain, social health; making new friends; broadening life expectations and possibilities
Risks: being in transition; managing money and debt; being in isolation; peer pressures; exam/ academic stress
Mental well being important regardless of mental health issues

3. 8S Programme
Working in 8 Settings - 4 Colleges, 4 Universities (originally 12, settings themselves are transient)
Students plus staff = 80,000 people in Lothian = 9% Lothian’s population, and rising
Differences in population in each setting
Over 70 countries are represented
Ages 14 to 90+
Mental health and access to services highlighted by each setting

4. Programme Overview- a public health approach
Three key areas
Mental health promotion - for students and staff, population approach
Mental health inequalities - looking at specific needs within key population groups
Partnership development - cross sector communication, understanding and working

5. Approach for All Areas
Focusing on key issues for the settings- transitory populations, inequalities within the communities, specific challenges accessing support
Building networks
Strengthening partnerships and joint working
Building capacity
Sharing practice
Being a resource across the settings

6. Issues around transition and health - individuals and communities
Sense of belonging in the wider community
Building social networks
Having common understanding of what mental health is (and isn’t)
Having similar expectations of what a health service might support
Understanding health service set up /navigating this
Crises can be challenging to manage

7. Issues around transition and health- services and planning
Understanding support structures for populations in transition
Influxes of transitory populations- ebb and flow of annual populations
Case management over shifting annual or seasonal timetable
Ensuring messages are disseminated in ever changing populations
Reaching vulnerable or hidden populations within transitory groups
Crises can be challenging to manage

8. Supporting mental health of populations in transition - examples from 8S
Taking a settings approach- public health model – creating a sense of belonging
Using people’s experience and understanding
Focusing on inequalities- realisation of need key
Through all developments-
Building capacity in-house
Building partnerships and relationships- within settings and beyond them
Linking with third sector agencies, using local health care agencies

9. Supporting mental health of populations in transition - examples from 8S
Influxes of transitory populations-forming partnerships to understand ebb and flow
Case management- information sharing agreements, specific service developments eg eating disorders, focus on crises
Ensuring messages are disseminated in ever changing populations- working closely with third sector and using local resources
Reaching vulnerable or hidden populations within transitory groups
Understanding support structures for populations in transition – raising awareness within NHS re student context and supports

10. Applying the learning Two main elements:
Well-being focus as well as prevention-
Is challenging for organisations to look at
Shapes the way discourse and development happens
Transitory nature of populations, versus fixed nature of services-
Is challenging for services to respond to
Can result in positive changes and partnerships

11. Applying the learning 2 Working with other transitory communities-
Homeless populations
Migrant or seasonal workers
Gypsy-traveller communities
Frequent attenders at A&E
Prison populations

12. Concluding Thoughts
University and College settings outside other streams of focus- 8S programme weaves them in - public mental health in action
Non-clinical, non-individual well being focus is beneficial
Looking at service provision and joint work between sectors necessary to change structure and focus
Important to recognise transitory nature of populations
Significant inequalities within populations –necessary focus