Welfare

Hi!

Your welfare reps this year are Rachel Smith and Anna Crucefix – we’re here to help!

An integral part of being a medical student means keeping yourself happy and healthy! No matter how small your worries, there is always someone at in the Clinical School you can turn to for support.

Please feel free to contact the two of us if you have any problems, want to know what support is available to you or simply to have a chat. Our email is welfare@nullclinsoc.co.uk or please contact us on facebook (just our names). We understand that sometimes you may not want to talk to another clinical student so we have put together a little guide to all the support that is available to you.

In addition to improving your day-to-day wellbeing, the welfare team also arranges events such as a bake off and drop ins throughout the year to help you relax and unwind in the middle of what can be quite a hectic clinical school schedule.

There’s also a whole host of welfare information on MedEd. Here is a link to the page (you’ll need to login via Raven).

What Welfare is Available to you as a Clinical Student?

In the Clinical School:

Your welfare officers Rachel and Anna. Please email us, message us and facebook or find us around clinical school. No problem is too small.

Clinical Sub-dean for student welfare, Dr Richard Davies
“I am both a Cambridge GP and Associate Dean for student welfare. My role is to organise and co-ordinate effective pastoral support and student welfare services for clinical students, and also to provide advice to individual students with concerns about any aspect of student welfare. I am very happy to be contacted at any time by students with questions or concerns about themselves or any of their colleagues. I can be contacted by email (rgd25), or you can arrange an appointment to see me by talking to Sue Eason, Personal Assistant to the Clinical Dean. I will also often be in the Associate Dean’s office in the Clinical School on a Thursday morning if you just want to drop in.”

Clinical Student Mental Health Service
This is a new Mental Health Service which has been commissioned by the Clinical School for Clinical Medical Students. It has been realised that as medical students we have an increased need of mental health services and need to access to help quicker than other students. The service provides confidential access to a Psychiatrist, and where appropriate a Psychologist, for any Clinical Student with a mental health problem requiring specialist advice. Referral is made from a student’s GP or via the University Occupational Health Service. Whilst the clinical school provides the funding and the access, the school does not know who has accessed this service.

Peer2Peer Support
“Peer2Peer is a student-run programme offering confidential, informal support to undergraduates, graduates, and post-docs in Cambridge. Students play an essential role in supporting and encouraging one another on a day-to-day basis, and this programme has been developed in recognition of that.” For more information visit their website: https://www.peer2peer-cambridge.org/

In Cambridge:

The same support you had as an undergraduate is still in place, including the following:

Helplines

Linkline
Offers confidential, anonymous, non-directive and non judgemental support. In operation everyday of Full Term, 7pm to 8am.Send them an email or telephone: 367575

Samaritans
In operation 24 hours a day. Telephone: 08457 909090
Address for drop-in: 4 Emmanuel Road, Cambridge, CB1 1JW
Hours for drop-in: 10:30am to 10:30pm

As a Doctor:

BMA Counselling and Doctor Advice Service
This is a confidential, nationwide, non-stop advice and counselling for doctors and medical students. Talk through any issues which may be worrying you in total privacy, confident that you are getting the best possible support.
Visit their website or call them on 01455 254 189. They also have a good list of external websites where you may find help.

GLADD representatives
This is the Gay and Lesbian Association of Doctors and Dentists – this is a link to the GLADD website: http://www.gladd.co.uk/.

Other Resources

The British Doctors and Dentists Group for drug and alcohol users http://www.bddg.org/

The British International Doctors Association
Where cultural or linguistic problems may be a contributing factor, doctors can access the health counselling panel
Telephone: 0161 456 7828
Send them an email: oda@nulldoctors.org.uk

Doctors’ Support Network

Self-help group for doctors with any form of mental health concern. They also have a confidential, anonymous peer support telephone line (call 0844 395 3010). https://www.dsn.org.uk/

Some more general resources:

Sexual Health

Student Advice Service’s page on sexual health

iCash
The new integrated Cambridgeshire sexual health service is iCash and they can be found at the Lime Tree clinic at Broomfileds hospital on Mill road.
Telephone: 0300 300 3030
Website: http://www.icash.nhs.uk/

Beeline
Offering non-judgmental, confidential information and support from fully-trained male and female volunteers, on pregnancy, sexual health, HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections, being a student parent, childcare, abortion, adoption, contraception and emergency contraception
Send them an email or call (3)33179. Dial the first 3 if you are calling from a non-University phone. Free from University extensions In operation: Sat and Sun, 15:00 to 17:00, during Full Term. Recorded information at all other times.

Student Finance

You can still get loans and bursaries from Student Finance. Log in or sign up here.

They can be contacted via Twitter, on Facebook, or by telephone (0300 100 0607).

For more information on contacting Student Finance, click here.

NHS Bursary

NHS bursaries are available for different years depending what course you are on:

For undergraduate medicine, you can apply for years 5-6
For graduate medicine, you can apply for years 2-4

This is what you can apply for, depending on your circumstances and region:

English Students:

English students are entitled to full payment of their tuition fees and a non-means tested grant of £1000. You can also apply for a means-tested bursary along with other more specific grants e.g childcare allowance, disabled student allowances. Create a BOSS account, fill out the application form and then send in the required evidence by special delivery.
www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/nhs-bursary-students/how-apply
Contact number: 0300 330 1345

Scottish students:

Scottish students apply to the SAAS. Tuition fees are paid for from your 5th year of study but you need to apply.
www.saas.gov.uk/index.htm
www.saas.gov.uk/_forms/sas4.pdf
Contact number: 0300 555 0505

Northern Irish students:

Northern Irish students apply to Student Finance Northern Ireland. You will be able to get a reduced rate, non-income assessed loan for the balance of your maintenance support. Student Finance will also pay your tuition fees to your university on behalf of DoH. There is also a means-tested bursary.
www.studentfinanceni.co.uk
Contact number: 0300 100 0077

Welsh students:

The Student Awards Services implements the NHS Wales Bursary Schemes. Again, you are entitled to tuition fees, a non-means tested grant of £1000 and a means-tested bursary.
www.studentfinancewales.co.uk
www.nwssp.wales.nhs.uk/sitesplus/documents/1178/BURSARY%20RATES.pdf
Contact number: 029 2090 5380

EU students:

If you were NOT ordinarily resident in England on the first day of the first academic year of your course AND you were ordinarily resident in the EEA for at least three years prior to the start of your course, you are entitled to have only your tuition fees funded by the NHS bursary. Unfortunately you can’t apply for the means tested and non means tested grants.
Apply to NHSBSA www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/nhs-bursary-students/how-apply
Contact number: 0300 330 1345

Tips for applying:

The NHS bursary calculator can be unreliable so don’t completely trust it – it has reportedly overestimated bursaries in the past.
You can apply to Student Finance England to get a student loan but you are only eligible for a non-means-tested reduced maintenance loan – you won’t receive more from SFE if you forgo your NHS bursary so don’t!
Chase NHS bursaries if you haven’t heard back after 2 weeks upon sending in your evidence for the bursary.
Students receiving the Cambridge Bursary need to fill in a few more forms which should be on the Cambridge Bursary website – we’ve had trouble with this before so if you’re struggling, please just ask or contact your college!

Here are some guides to help with your application:

NHS Bursary Funding for Medical and Dental Students 2018/19
Completing your NHS Bursary application: a step-by-step guide to BOSS

Remember, you’re only applying for one year – you’ll need to apply again at roughly the same time for next year’s bursary.
If you are struggling to apply or have any questions don’t hesitate to contact us at welfare@nullclinsoc.co.uk

Happy applying!

Cambridge Bursary Scheme

You may be eligible for a Cambridge Bursary. Click here for more information or download the flyer for details.

Other

The University’s official take on money and student life is here.

CUSU have created a useful webpage with more information about funding for which you may be eligible.

Your college tutor should be able to advice you about other sources of funding, including hardship funds for students in financial straits.

In the Sherwood Room there is a box of board games. These games are for students to take on placement with them (they might relieve the boredom of those long nights in King’s Lynn!). We just ask that you keep them no longer than two weeks so that everyone has a chance to use them and that you try not to lose any pieces/components of the games!

If one of the games that you borrow has missing parts please just let us know so that we can try and sort it out!