Health & Wellbeing

Emergency information

Medical or mental health emergency

Information on what to do in an emergency and where to find your nearest A&E and/or local doctor.

Medical or mental health emergency

Guidance for students who have been sexually assaulted

What to do if you've been sexually assaulted, and where you can find support.

Guidance for students who have been sexually assaulted

Wellbeing and Counselling at UCA

Our wellbeing document contains an overview of support available to you at UCA.

Wellbeing and Counselling at UCA (PDF)

Wellbeing support for students

Wellbeing support for students – a guide

Our guide provides a list of resources, tools and helplines available to you at any time during term time and vacations. The list aims to provide a quick reference guide to the different types of support available and is not exhaustive.

Wellbeing support for students - a guide (PDF)

Wellbeing and Counselling at UCA

The Wellbeing and Counselling Service is here to support you whilst you study at UCA. It’s important to reach out and access support so that you can get the most from your university experience.

What have students discussed with us before?

Wellbeing and Counselling Word Cloud

You can discuss whatever you need to with us.

We can also support you in accessing ongoing internal support such as UCA counselling and accessing external mental health services such as GPs and further talking therapies.

We will contact you via your UCA student email to offer a meeting called a wellbeing check-in where you can talk to a member of the team about your mental health and wellbeing. This can take place in person on campus or online via a video call.

During your wellbeing check-in, we will talk about how you are feeling, and work with you to create a plan to help address your worries or concerns. This might include:

  • Talking through some strategies to manage your feelings
  • Signposting to self-help resources
  • Offering ongoing wellbeing support
  • Referring you to other support services within the University, such as our Counselling Service
  • Support in accessing other UCA teams, such as the Learning Support Team, Learning Development Tutors and Liaison Librarians
  • Making recommendations for external support

 

 

You can refer yourself by either:

1. Emailing wellbeing@uca.ac.uk

2. Emailing, phoning or visiting your campus Gateway based in the library:

 3. Speaking to a member of staff if you need support in referring

New for 2022-23:

  • Students are no longer able to self-refer directly to UCA Counselling. You will first be offered a wellbeing check-in to discuss your options with a member of our Wellbeing and Counselling Team. If counselling is appropriate for you, we will make a referral for you.

The free counselling service is a chance to discuss any difficult thoughts or feelings you may be having with professionally qualified and experienced counsellors. 

For more information about how UCA Counselling works, please read the Counselling Information Sheet and the eCounselling Overview.

There are a few extra things to know when accessing remote counselling so please read this information about information, boundaries and guidelines to ensure you are ready to take part.

Academic Services provide a range of advice and support services which require our staff to work with personal and sensitive information that you may share with us. You can access our Confidentiality Statement here.

Wellbeing tools

Find out about our free wellbeing tools that are available to all students at UCA.

Wellbeing tools

Mental health resources

Looking for more information about mental health? You'll find links to helpful external organisations on this page, as well as lots of useful resources.

Mental health resources

Support for BAME students

Information, help and support that BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) students can access within UCA and elsewhere.

Support during Covid-19

Covid-19 has had a disproportionate effect on BAME communities, and the virus has further highlighted issues with structural inequalities and their impact on the health and wellbeing of individuals from BAME communities. This is a summary of the sources of information, help and support that BAME students can access within UCA and elsewhere.

Support during Covid-19 (PDF)

Things you need to do before the end of the first term

There are some things you need to do upon starting at UCA to be able to access medical attention when you need it.

  • Register with a doctor

    Being registered with a doctor is the only way to receive free access to the NHS and non-emergency care. 

    It's essential you register with a doctor (GP) locally. Don't leave it until you are ill. It's really important to do this as soon as possible when you start at UCA, especially if you have an on-going physical or mental health condition.

    If you qualify, you can apply for help with health costs such as prescriptions and dental care. More information is available on the NHS: Help with health costs website.

    To find and register with the doctors closest to your campus view our Local Information Guides.

    Otherwise use the Find a GP tool to find a doctor (GP) surgery or practice using your postcode.

  • Register with a dentist

    Dental problems can't be dealt with by doctors, so it is recommended that you register with a local dentist as well.

    If you qualify, you can apply for help with health costs such as prescriptions and dental care. More information is available on the NHS: Help with health costs website.

    To find and register with the dentists closest to your campus view our Local Information Guides.

  • Check your vaccinations are up to date

    Please check with your doctor that your vaccinations are all up to date before you start at UCA.

    You should be up to date with:

    • Tetanus
    • Polio
    • Diphtheria
    • Meningitis ACWY
    • MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella)
    • HPV

    Both meningitis and mumps can be a problem for students, so if you haven't already been immunised against meningitis ACWY or mumps, please arrange to be vaccinated by your doctor before you come to UCA.

    You may have had a MenC vaccination previously but this will not protect you against other meningococcal groups. The MenACWY vaccine will increase your protection against MenC and help to protect you against three other meningococcal groups (A, W and Y). Students in their second year or above of university do not need the vaccine.

    It’s recommended that all first year students up to 25 years old should have the MenACWY vaccine before or soon after you start university. First years are at particularly high risk in the first weeks of term when you'll come into contact with many new people of a similar age. You should get vaccinated straight away – ideally in your first week of term. Don’t leave it until later.

    If you have asthma and take inhaled steroids or you have long term conditions (such as kidney diseases), it is recommended that you receive an annual flu vaccination.

    For further information visit the NHS Choices site:

  • Book your COVID-19 vaccination

    You can no longer book a Covid-19 vaccination online.

    You may be able to get a seasonal COVID-19 vaccine this autumn if you're at increased risk from COVID-19 or depending on your age.

    The NHS will contact you if your NHS record suggests you may be eligible for a seasonal COVID-19 vaccine.

  • Information for students from non-EEA (European Economic Area) countries

    Please visit our International webpages for more information.

  • Download the NHS app

    Do more with the NHS app!

    The NHS App gives you a simple and secure way to access a range of NHS services.

    You can use the NHS app to manage your appointments, order and view repeat prescriptions, access your medical record, update your personal details and more.

    Download the NHS App on your smartphone or tablet via the Google Play or App Store.

Local contacts

Find the right contact for your area.

You can find information on other services, such as hospitals, GPs and dentists in the Canterbury local information guide (PDF).

You can find information on other services, such as hospitals, GPs and dentists in the Epsom local information guide (PDF).

You can find information on other services, such as hospitals, GPs and dentists in the Farnham local information guide (PDF).

Contact Us

Canterbury
Email: gatewaycanterbury@uca.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)1227 817 314

Epsom
Email: gatewayepsom@uca.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)1372 202 461

Farnham
Email: gatewayfarnham@uca.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)1252 892 709