It’s the Chief Medical Officer’s 2024 wrapped

While students are often left out of the health agenda, even on a basic level of not being able to register for a GP in two locations, this report is refreshing in its reference to and later focus on students.

It starts by acknowledging that the majority of higher education institutions and students are based in cities and as a student population will need specific consideration in supporting their physical and mental health. It notes that this is due to their transience but also the challenge of social isolation.

In Birmingham, for example, there is a large number of 18-24 year old students who come to the city to study, and over 12,000 international students. With students coming and going, there’s a fluctuating demographic profile of the city which means ever-changing demand on services like primary care and housing making it harder to build community beyond campus.

The report dedicates a section to student health in cities. Rather than viewing a transient population group as an ongoing risk, it’s important to consider what specialised support or infrastructure can be in place to support students’ health that is flexible and responsive to changing needs.

Data from the ONS in 2021 suggests that 57 per cent of students were registered with healthcare services in their term time local authority but their release was accompanied with an awareness that these details likely need updating. When students re-register they often lose any spots they had on waiting lists – and if they do remain registered at their home address will face challenges in accessing healthcare support at various points throughout the year.

The report notes that student mental health has been declining since 2017 and where the population is most concentrated, the effect on student health in cities grows. Where students are working more hours to support their finances in the cost of living crisis, it provides a further pressure on their mental health and wellbeing – something the report mentions should not be underestimated.

Various levels of immunisation increases the risk of the spread of infectious diseases and higher levels of air pollution are likely to affect students with asthma living in cities.

University students living in cities are likely to experience similar, if not the same health problems as the general population, albeit some are more prevalent where students are younger. However, the difference in this population is their ability to access healthcare support when they move so frequently – both across their university town or city but also to-and-from home if they move away. For the majority of students this is their first experience of independent living, as such their knowledge and cultural capital of accessing healthcare, registering for a GP and joining waiting lists will be respectively limited.

The report goes on to make recommendations covering the use of technologies, including the NHS app, improving the urban environment including pollutants and toxins, improving access for mental health support, addressing emerging patterns of drug and alcohol use and joining up accessible and supportive sexual health services.

For student populations that call a city or town “home” more often than a specific address, city-specific health plans and strategies would be a positive step forward in treating students like citizens rather than tourists in the places where they study.

They will likely need to use a GP, a walk-in service, get an STI test or require mental health support at some point during their university experience, how accessible these services are, how joined up they are and how they work across universities and the city is imperative to supporting student health.