Nik Munien is Service Manager for Mental Health and Learning Disability within University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust. He qualified as a mental health nurse in 1995 and has worked mostly in mental health crisis teams, assessment and community teams, and forensic psychiatric services. On #unimentalhealthday, Nik discusses the pressures on student mental health and highlights services available across Bristol. 

---

#hellomynameis Nik and I feel very privileged to have taken up the new post of Service Manager for Mental Health and Learning Disability within UH Bristol NHS Foundation Trust (UH Bristol).

Emotional wellbeing and mental health is fundamental to us all and I’m keen to raise awareness of mental health issues and excited to explore how care and services for people with emotional and mental health needs can be developed within the Trust.

I joined the Liaison Psychiatry Service two years ago and took up post as Service Manager at the start of this year. The Liaison Psychiatry Service is a team of Specialist Psychiatric Nurses and Psychiatrists who provide mental health assessments, support and ongoing care and treatment for any person presenting with mental health issues to our hospitals. We have Specialist Drug and Learning Disability Nurses within the team, and work closely with Community Mental Health services and partner agencies such as counselling and therapeutic support services to ensure that ongoing support options are in place for individuals once they leave our care.

We have been working closely with services at both University of Bristol and University of the West of England to improve mental health care and support available to students.

Our service if for any person over the age of 18 and recently there has been an increased focus on the mental health and emotional needs of students in Bristol. We have been working closely with services at both University of Bristol and University of the West of England to improve mental health care and support available to students.

University can be a stressful time for some students: often it can be someone’s first time away from home, bringing challenges of living independently, stresses around exams and studying, managing relationships with others and financial concerns. It is important that young people have access to timely and easily available emotional and mental health support. The University of Bristol have recently expanded the services they provide to students both in terms of active support, access to therapy and counselling and on-campus pastoral care.

Using new technologies is an important part in reaching and supporting younger audiences. The distrACT mobile phone app has been developed in conjunction with the University to provide easy, quick and discreet access to general health information and advice about self-harm. It is available to download on Android and Apple. 

For any student that may require emotional or mental health support, the first port of call should always be a GP and / or Student Health Service, and there are a number of local charities providing specific support to individuals including:

Off the Record: 0808 808 9120

Bristol Wellbeing Therapies: 0117 982 3209

Bristol Sanctuary: 0117 954 2952

Womankind: 0117 916 6461

In an emergency please contact the Bristol Mental Health Crisisline on 0300 555 0334.

- By Nik Munien, Service Manager for Mental Health and Learning Disability, UH Bristol NHS Foundation Trust

---

On 21 March, University of Bristol students are taking on 10 hours of challenges as part of the Ignit10n fundraising campaign. This year, they are raising awareness and money for mental health services in Bristol. You can support Ignit10n's fundraising or play their fundraising raffle.