Parents of Bristol student who took her own life secure political backing for welfare campaign
The parents of a student who killed herself have won cross party support for their campaign to make universities legally responsible for student welfare.
Bob and Margaret Abrahart said a parliamentary debate on the issue had 'opened another door' in their bid to seek 'parity' with the duty of care given by employers. A court had earlier ruled Bristol University's actions contributed to the suicide of their daughter Natasha, 20, and it had breached the Equality Act 2010 in the way it treated her.
Natasha had been diagnosed with chronic Social Anxiety Disorder in February 2018. She took her life in 2018 the day she was due to give a presentation to students and staff in a 329-seat lecture theatre.
Natasha, from Nottingham, was studying physics at the University of Bristol when she died in April 2018. Her parents, who were awarded £50k from the court, and attended a debate on the issue in Parliament yesterday, organised by their local MP.
The couple are calling for a statutory duty of care which would make universities legally responsible for taking steps to avoid students coming to harm. And they won cross party support
Maggie, 64, said: "We want parity with employers who have a duty of care to their employees. At the moment, because it's unclear what's expected of universities, there's no accountability when things go wrong."
Her dad Bob, 69, told the BBC that when Natasha told the university she was suicidal it "made no difference". He added: "They should have taken the necessary steps to avoid causing her further distress", he said.
"In 2023, we took this to Parliament. Things haven't changed. It's now time to revisit the problem. We lose 160 students to suicide every year at universities in England and Wales. This has to be taken seriously, not just by the universities but by Parliament. This debate is another door opening. It's not the end. It's another start."
The University of Bristol said it had increased specialist mental health provision and introduced self-bookable appointments with a wellbeing adviser. The family's Labour MP James Naish, said: "I hope this marks the moment within this parliament where this issue gets a proper airing and a proper discussion.
"There have been improvements by universities but that doesn't mean it is consistent across the board."
The University of Bristol said in a statement: "We care deeply about all our students and staff which is why the mental health and wellbeing of our community is at the heart of decision making across the university. This includes the provision of appropriate, accessible services and interventions."
The Department for Education said the government was calling for "urgent, visible action from universities to learn from these preventable deaths". A spokesperson added: "Last year, we published the first ever national review of student suicides in higher education which provided valuable insights and recommendations to improve prevention and support."
In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email [email protected] or [email protected].