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Thursday 16th November 2017 | No. 800
Palatinate’s 800th Edition
Former editors Sir Harold Evans, Hunter Davies, George Alagiah and Jeremy Vine write exclusive guest columns
Russell Group universities ‘worth £87bn to UK economy’ Tania Chakraborti News Editor
Some 69 years, eight months, and three days after its first ever edition, Palatinate today reaches its 800th. We celebrate with guest columns from prestigious former editors on p8-10 (Faye Chua)
Durham Counselling Service: too few counsellors for students Despite higher spending for 2017/18, staffing shakeup leaves service short of official guidelines and prone to longer waiting times
Sophie Gregory News Editor Durham University’s Counselling Service has reduced its number of Full Time Equivalent (FTE) counsellors from 6.2 to 5.4 for this academic year, leaving it short of the recommended counsellor-student ratio. Though overall staff numbers and spending levels have both been increased, information provided by the Counselling Service reveals the cut in counsellors puts Durham below the official minimum proportion of full-time counsellors to students, as advised by the British
Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). According to the BACP’s Sector Overview of University and College Counselling Services, published in October 2017, a counsellorstudent ratio of 1:3,000 “has been seen as minimum provision”. Despite being met last academic year, the newly decreased total of FTE counselling staff means this is not now being reached at Durham. In 2016/17, with a student populace of 17,927 and 6.2 FTE counsellors, the ratio was approximately 1:2,891, but for 2017/18, with 5.4 counsellors, the relationship is
closer to 1:3,300. Official statistics for the University’s present student population are not yet available, but using last year’s figures, the ratio for this academic year stands at one counsellor for every 3,331 students. Overall, there has been an increase in Counselling Service staff, with the addition of one Mental Health Advisor. The staffing team is comprised of 5.4 counsellors, two Mental Health Advisors, 0.8 FTE Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners, 0.5 FTE Rape and Sexual Abuse Counselling Centre (RSACC) specialists, and 0.5 FTE trainees.
A Palatinate Freedom of Information (FOI) request has revealed expenditure steadily increased by over £200,000 in the last five academic years, though the number of students attending counselling sessions has not increased in proportion to this spending. In 2016/17, the Counselling Service’s total expenditure reached £607,745, including £50,000 for Sexual Violence support and training. This is an increase on the £500,100 spent in 2015/16. Mental health at university is an increasingly prominent conContinued on page 4...
Leading research-focused universities in the UK, including Durham, are worth £86.8 billion a year to the national economy. This is according to a study conducted by London Economics, Business Management Consultants, which focused on the single academic year of 2015/16. The study claims that in that one year all Russell Group universities together contributed a total to the UK economy equivalent to eight months’ expenditure on the NHS. The report assesses the medium- and long-term impacts of universities’ teaching, learning activities and research, their value through income gained from overseas students, and their spending on goods, services and employees. The study also showed that Russell Group universities support approximately 260,000 jobs, more than the total population of the city of Aberdeen. Within teaching and learning, the study reveals the 166,000 UKdomiciled students undertaking research at the 24 Russell Group universities in 2015/16 will contribute almost £21 billion to the UK economy through the valuable skills they acquire. For every £1 of public research funding these universities receive, the report claims, they will accomplish an average return of £9 for the UK’s economy. This follows a major study conducted by BiGGAR Economics earlier this year which showed that for every £1 Durham University receives in funding, it provides £3.21. Furthermore, the BiGGAR study revealed Durham University is worth £1.1 billion a year to the UK economy and that the University generates over 13,000 jobs overall. Durham students also contribute 14,000 hours to volunteering annually overall, according to the survey.