When the academic year starts, around 9,000 students come to live in Aberystwyth; almost doubling the population of the town and community, and bringing life into what can sometimes be a quiet seaside town. Yet here at the Students’ Union we are endlessly hearing about students who have had poor experiences accessing their local health services.
When the academic year starts, around 9,000 students come to live in Aberystwyth; almost doubling the population of the town and community, and bringing life into what can sometimes be a quiet seaside town. Yet here at the Students’ Union we are endlessly hearing about students who have had poor experiences accessing their local health services; from getting an appointment with their GP, to getting the referrals they need to access mental health support services, amongst many other things. I personally have had poor experiences of local health services, being diagnosed with a life threatening condition over 8 months after I told someone there was something wrong.
Students have a huge stake in the local community, and should have the support they need locally when they come and study here. We’ve met with our local MP, and will soon to be meeting with Hywel Dda Health Board about this issue. I believe that students should not be treated any differently to any other member of the local community.
This year, we’re making this a priority, so we want you to tell us about your experiences with local health services, including mental health provision. Please use the following link (https://umabersu.wufoo.com/forms/pse1yib1xi1azo/) to access our form on health and mental health services, and honestly tell us how you’ve found it accessing these necessary services as a student. The more evidence we have, the greater the change we can make.
If you have any questions about our mission, or concerns about the type of information you might want to share with us, please get in touch on union.president@aber.ac.uk.