Developing a minimum data standard for student mental health services in the UK: a qualitative study with staff from university support services

Objective

This study is part of the Student Counselling Outcomes Research and Evaluation (SCORE) initiative that is pooling university counselling service data to improve datasets and evidence for counselling in this sector. This study aimed to explore university counselling staff views about which data should be included in a national minimum data standard (MDS) to provide evidence for counselling in the sector.

Method

Semi-structured focus groups were conducted with university counselling staff including counsellors, service leaders and mental health advisors. They explored data to include in an MDS, current data collection practices, service and sector level data collection barriers. Two researchers performed content analysis involving identifying fields for inclusion. Thematic analysis was used to identify contextual issues surrounding data collection. Ten focus groups were conducted with 41 participants across 26 university counselling services.

Results

Content analysis identified fields of information for the MDS within the categories of student characteristics, demographics, clinical assessment and service evaluation. Thematic analysis explored context and culture surrounding data collection, barriers and facilitators, institutional influence and ideal data collection practices. This highlights the need for service support and training around data collection, clear processes, and adequate IT infrastructure and staff resources.

Discussion

These findings will inform the development of an MDS as part of the SCORE study. The next stage will involve further development of the MDS and piloting in services. The longer term aim is to implement an MDS across university counselling services, enabling the growth of evidence for the sector which may allow increased funding and service provision.