• Skip to content

• Home
• For students
• For staff

 

Student Support

• Student issues
• Organisational chart
• Performance standards

• Policies
  • Code of Professional Practice
  • Student Complaints
  • Confidentiality and Data Protection
  • Crisis intervention
  • Death of a student
  • Drugs
  • Fitness to Practise policy
  • Fitness to study
  • Missing student protocol
  • Student discipline
  • Students under 18
  • Student mental health
  • Support for pregnant students and students with very young children
  • Suspending studies
• External organisations

Student policies & guidelines

Protocol for the death or serious injury of a student

1. Immediate Actions - A person discovering someone on the University Campus or its immediate vicinity who is showing no signs of life or appears to be seriously injured should immediately contact the Security Office on Ext 666 or 01225 383999, stating 'This is an emergency' and giving a name, phone extension/mobile number and exact location. If able/trained, the person should administer appropriate First Aid. If not, he or she should remain at the scene and not remove anything or allow others to do so until the emergency services arrive. If the person making the discovery has already contacted the emergency services he or she should notify the Security Office immediately afterwards. This is vital, as Security will need to direct the emergency services, attend the scene of the incident, and coordinate the University response.

2. The Security Office will:

• Notify and liaise with the emergency services
• Notify the Medical Centre (ext 6655)
• Notify the Head of Security or Security Manager

3. The Police and Ambulance Service will:
• Attend the scene of the incident
• Contact the Coroner, if appropriate
• Notify the next of kin/family

NB In the event of a student death or serious injury, the Police must make first contact with the family. Therefore, no University student or member of staff should contact the next of kin until it has been checked that the Police have already done so. After this initial contact the Head of Student Services will contact the family; leaving the Head of Department to co-ordinate other activities such as communication with fellow students.

4. If a death or serious injury has been confirmed - Security staff will check that the individual was/is a student by using the Student Record System, and also check whether the student was resident in University accommodation. Security will then notify the following key contacts:

• The Head of Student Services (Ext 6879 or 4796) or in his or her absence, the University Secretary (Ext 6212 or 6080), or in his or her absence the Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Learning & Teaching (Ext 6013 or 3162), who will liaise with the University Medical Centre.
• The Facilities and Services Manager during office hours (ext 4869), or the duty Resident Tutor, if the student has been living in a University hall of residence.
• The Head of the Academic Department, Director of Studies and Department Co-ordinator of the deceased or seriously injured student.
• The University Chaplain or duty Chaplain (Ext 6458 or 6193)
• The Press Office by email at: press@bath.ac.uk
• The Director or Deputy Director of HR to help with support to the staff
• The Students’ Union Chief Executive or Deputy Chief Executive (Planning and Membership)

The Security Office will use separately notified mobile or home telephone numbers to inform the Key Contacts in the event of the emergency occurring outside of normal working hours.

5. Student death occurring off campus - Information about the death or serious injury of a student occurring off campus, including outside the UK, should be notified to the Head of Student Services or the University Secretary, or Pro-Vice-Chancellor Learning and Teaching, as above who will inform the staff listed above.

6. Within 24 hours - The Head of Student Services or his or her alternate will:
• Ensure that the Vice-Chancellor or Deputy Vice-Chancellor, the Dean of the Student’s Faculty or School of Management, as appropriate, the Pro-Vice-Chancellor Learning and Teaching, Head of Accommodation and Hospitality Services, Director of Marketing & Communications and the Students’ Union Deputy Chief Executive (Communications, Marketing and Bars) are informed.
• Notify the Pro-Vice Chancellor (Internationalistation), Head of the International Relations Office and the Student ServicesManager (International and Helpdesk), if the deceased or seriously injured person was an international or EU student, and/or the death occurred while on placement or study abroad outside the UK.
• Ensure staff on the frontline who are likely to be asked for information about the situation have a clear holding message which is regularly updated, including information about available support and how to respond to press enquiries.
• Ensure an announcement is published on the University homepages, including details of out of hours support, bearing in mind that with social media students will find out very quickly about such incidents.
• In the event of death, ensure details are amended on all databases via relevant Heads of Academic Department, Registry, Finance, Payroll, Human Resources, BUCS, Library, Accommodation Office, Medical and Dental Centres, Students’ Union, JobLink and Alumni to avoid inappropriate mailings and ensure the student's computer account is locked, retained for three years, and then deleted.
• Work with the Student Services Manager (Health and Well-Being) and Deputy Director of Human Resources to ensure coordination of subsequent support and guidance for students and staff within the University who may have been affected, in consultation with the Key Contacts and the Casework Management Group.

7. Subsequent coordination and support may include the following:
• Identifying Head of Student Services and/or a Member of the Department as key contacts for external parties, such as family, hospital, Police, Coroner’s Office, and Foreign and British Embassies.
• Confirming when Police or hospital has informed family.
• Emailing all stakeholders with regular updates confirming what has taken place, what actions are being taken and by whom.
• Checking for any other family ties to the University.
• Contacting family to offer condolences and support with finding local accommodation, liaison with University departments, local emergency services, Foreign and British Embassies, Coroner’s Office etc.
• Student Services liaising with the International Relations Office, the family, Embassy and sponsors of international students, particularly in relation to their travel to the UK, immigration and other legal formalities, cultural needs and repatriation of the student.
• Seeking advice on the cultural dimensions and implications of a student death and/or serious injury, perhaps from other students of the same nationality.
• Drafting press releases and intranet announcements, liaising with Departments and friends to ensure they are appropriately personalised.
• Drafting of letters of condolence to the family from the Vice-Chancellor and Head of Department.
• Agreeing with the Head of Department how best to inform students and staff in their department, including the drafting of information and the offer of support through the Student Services, Students’ Union and Department of Human Resources. NB Details of the cause of death should not be circulated as these may be subject to a Coroner’s inquiry.
• The provision of information on bereavement and support agencies.
• Providing feedback to the student’s Head of Department about the probable cause of death or serious injury, where possible.
• Identifying and offering support to other students, including those of the same nationality, who may have been close to the deceased or seriously injured student through their shared programme of study, accommodation, clubs and societies, employment etc. with help from Registry, Accommodation Office and Students’ Union.
• Advising students affected by the student death or serious injury to inform their academic departments, particularly if approaching examinations or other deadlines for assessed work.
• Checking for possible links with Bath Spa University students through shared accommodation etc, and informing their support services.
• Liaising with landlords and other contacts outside the University.
• Agreeing with the Pro-Vice Chancellor (Learning and Teaching), academic and other relevant departments who will attend the funeral and other memorial events on behalf of the University, depending on wishes of family.
• Arranging coach travel for groups of students and staff wanting to attend the funeral, subject to the wishes of the family.
• Chaplain liaising with family, staff and friends about a memorial event at the University.
• Student Services Manager (Health and Well-Being) following up with offers of support to those students most affected by the death or serious injury of the student, including the student(s) who found them.
• De-briefing staff and students two to three weeks after the event and use this as a learning opportunity
• Monitoring and responding to issues raised through the Inquest.
• Reviewing the circumstances of and University’s response to the death or serious injury of a student to ensure the experience will inform the future development of this protocol. (It should also be noted that the Coroner may ask to see a copy of the outcomes of such a process.)
• Sending a final letter to the family

8. Support for staff involved in this process.

Dealing with these issues of student death or serious injury is likely to be highly emotionally demanding for the staff involved. It is therefore vital that these staff are properly supported. It is also vital that the supporting role is shared amongst both the department and Student Services teams and not focused on any one individual.
Staff should seek and follow advice from the Student Services Health & Wellbeing team on supporting relatives and fellow students in the case of student death. This advice will take account of self-care issues for the member of staff and Student Services Health & Wellbeing team members will be able to identify sources of support for staff.

Staff should contact their line manager and / or their Human Resources (HR) Manager for guidance, help and support. Contact details for your designated HR manager can be found on the home page of the HR web pages at http://www.bath.ac.uk/hr/working/contactus.html

Staff should considering seeking support and help through the University’s staff counselling and support services which are provided by the Royal United Hospital’s Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) service. Staff counselling is provided by counsellors who are fully trained and registered to BACP standards and is completely confidential. Staff can book an appointment by contacting the EAP service directly on (01225) 825960 or (01225) 824484 or it can organised for them by their HR Manager.

Mark Ames
Head of Student Services,
1 February 2013

 

 

 

Department of Student Services, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY
tel: +44 (0) 1225 385538· email: studentservices@bath.ac.uk

© 2007 · disclaimer · privacy statement · FoI
updated: 18 February, 2013