Student Blog | Support & Info Over Christmas

Friday 17 December 2021

Info, advice and support for all our student over the festive period.

Info, advice and support for all our student over the festive period.

As the festive season approaches, we wanted to share a range of info and advice for all our students.

We understand this time of year can be challenging for some and with all the changes brough about the pandemic we wanted to assure students we have a range of support for you.

You can find lots of information below and always remember to reach if you need help.

Campus Arrangements
Following on from our email of Wednesday 8^th December we would like to remind you of the changes we made recently, as a result of Scottish Government covid safety advice and uncertainty around the new variant. These arrangements will remain in place until Friday 21^st January, on-campus activity will be limited to the following:

All day-time practical classes.
All School classes.
Exams.
Please contact your lecturer, PAT or Head or Department if you are unsure of your own circumstances in relation to these arrangements or have any questions.
A limited refectory service.
Student Support Services.

Change can be frustrating and we want to remind you of the support services that are there to support you including:

Study spaces for students whose home circumstances make it difficult to study at home. Please contact reception at leenquiries@uhi.ac.uk to arrange.

If you do not have suitable IT equipment for studying at home, please contact lestudentservices@uhi.ac.uk as we may be able to help you get online.
Library services (Stornoway campus) will operate on a click and collect basis. You can access this service using the link to the click and collect library form https://uhi-uk.libwizard.com/f/clickcollectLCC or by emailing lelibrary@uhi.ac.uk A collection point and returns box will located at reception. Collections and returns can be made daily 9am – 5 pm.
If you require mental health and wellbeing support we have a wide range of resources, guidance, and services which can be accessed online, including 24/7 mental health support through Spectrum.Life and Togetherall. All calls are answered by clinically trained counsellors or psychotherapists. You can talk to them about anything, including stress, anxiety, low mood, financial worries, loss and grief, relationship difficulties and substance abuse issues. You can access Spectrum-life by calling 0800 031 8227 and What’s App 00353 87 369 0010. There is also a chat function if you follow the link Spectrum-life. And more information is available here Support for your wellbeing and mental health - Student Assistance Programme - Spectrum.Life (uhi.ac.uk)
There is also text based online community support through our Togetherall service.
Looking after yourself will help you study better and ensure you can reach your full potential, but most importantly of all help you stay mentally healthy. There are self-help resources available here Support for your wellbeing and mental health and Student Mental Health Support

We also want to remind you of the arrangements over the holiday period including:

Campus closures
All our campuses will close to students on Tuesday 21^st December at 12:30pm and reopen on Thursday 6^th January at 9 am.

Testing when travelling
For those of you who will be travelling during the holiday, if you are travelling within the UK, you are encouraged to adhere to the following:

All students intending to travel between their term time address and home within the UK should do an LFD test three days before travel and on the day of travel. Students should repeat taking an LFD test three days before travel and on the day of travel before returning to term-time accommodation.

If you test positive, you should get a PCR test and complete your period of self-isolation before you begin your journey.

This is a voluntary scheme and you will not need evidence of a negative test to travel within the UK. However, we encourage you to participate in order to reduce the risk.

If you require any LFD test kits, we do have them available on our campuses, just ask at reception. If you do not attend campus and would like help getting a test kit, please let us know.

If you are travelling back from outside the UK, you must adhere to the following:

Make sure that you’re able to prove you’re fully vaccinated
Take a COVID-19 test up to 2 days before you board a flight to Scotland
Book a COVID-19 day 2 test
Complete a Passenger Locator Form on gov.uk

More information can be found by following the link below.

Coronavirus (COVID-19): international travel and quarantine - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Emergency support
This time of year can be challenging for many, especially with everything else going on. It’s important that we know where to find help and support when we need it. If you require urgent assistance and are experiencing a non-life-threatening crisis you should contact

NHS 24: 111 or Police Scotland: 101.

We hope that you have a lovely and relaxing holiday, it is very well deserved, and we look forward to seeing you all again in the New Year.