When Maxine Carrick’s son Oskar left home for his dream degree in film at Sheffield Hallam University, she thought her son would be in safe hands.
The 20-year-old was living with a brain injury from a car accident 18 months earlier, and was listed as a disabled student when he embarked on the course in September 2020.
But tragedy struck several months later in June when the mum-of-five received the worst call imaginable to any parent – Oskar had taken his own life.
“It was a horrendous shock – we had no idea he was suicidal,” Maxine, a 58-year-old secondary school teacher told The Mirror.
The family from Sedgwick, Cumbria, were aghast to later discover Oskar had attempted to take his life three weeks earlier. Despite the university's knowledge of this, none of them were told.
“When I went to empty his room we didn’t even know where his body was – we had to ring around hospitals trying to find my own child,” said the mum.
'My son took his life after university said first attempt wasn't an emergency'
Maxine and partner Gary are among dozens of parents bereaved by suicide in the UK who are campaigning for universities to take on a legal duty of care towards students.
Despite students currently paying more than £9,000-a-year in tuition fees, universities do not have any legal responsibility for their welfare.
Last year, a coroner criticised Exeter University when an inquest heard student Harry Armstrong-Evans died by suicide despite a "cry for help" after bad results on exams sat in his halls due to the pandemic.
Cambridge University – which was last year fined for making a student do a presentation before she took her life – saw six students die by suicide this academic year alone.
Aberystwyth University student Charlie McLeod took his life in February – just days after telling staff he was feeling suicidal – but his family said no contact was made with them. The university said it was in touch with Charlie "throughout" the year.
Shortly before Oskar’s inquest in Sheffield, Maxine said she found out her son had already tried to take his own life in April.
“He was allowed to walk back unchallenged and go back to his halls,” Maxine said.
“One security guard told the university he had just walked back in.
“This was logged on their system but we don’t know who that went to.”
Any change in mood or behaviour is a major red flag for young people with brain injuries. But the university later told an inquest it was not seen as an emergency at the time.
“We were told that the opt-in box for universities to be able to contact families was only there ‘for emergencies like a broken leg’,” the mum said.
‘My daughter was told to practice self-care – 20 hours later she took her life’
In 2021, Phoebe Grime was on course to score a first-class honours in her philosophy degree at Newcastle University.
But the intelligent 20-year-old second-year student from Kent was battling every day with her mental health after losing her dad to cancer earlier that year, and was actively asking for help.
Mum Hilary Grime said all the warning signs had been there.
“I knew she was unhappy, but not quite how bad it was,” she said.
Hilary claimed: “Phoebe told her counsellor she ‘wished the pain to end’. They did nothing. 20 hours later, she tried to take her own life.
“Why didn’t they contact me? Alarm bells should have been ringing.
“The therapist just told her to practise self-care. When someone expresses a wish to end their life the courses of action are many, but they are not going home and running a hot bath.”
Some 64 higher education students - or three per 100,000 - took their own lives during the 2019/20 academic year, the most recent data available shows.
Hilary and Maxine both travelled to London earlier this week as parents told their stories in a petitions committee, after more than 128,000 people signed a petition for universities to take on statutory responsibility towards students.
Addressing a panel in the Commons, Hilary said students "don't have the time or the know-how to fight this battle – an individual couldn't take on universities and governments alone".
Parliament will now debate the issue – which has been backed by MPs Caroline Noakes and Helen Grant – on June 5, marking the two-year anniversary of Phoebe's death.
A spokesperson for Newcastle University said Phoebe was “remembered fondly” as a talented and dedicated student, and was given counselling during her studies.
“The coroner in Phoebe's inquest could not identify any point where things could have been done differently by the University or by her private counsellor,” the spokesperson said.
“Nonetheless, we continuously seek to improve support services and work with key partners to help any student struggling with their mental health.”
Sheffield Hallam said it took students’ wellbeing “extremely seriously” and had “significantly increased resources” of support in recent years.
A spokesperson said: “The inquest into Oskar’s tragic death did not reference any failings on the part of the University.
“The coroner also commented that she was content the University was engaging with discussions surrounding consent on a sector-wide national level.”
Clarise Pattison, Strategic Change Lead for Young People at Mind said: “We know that University can be a difficult time, presenting many challenges that can cause stress, living independently, often for the first time, meeting and working with new people, managing money, being away from your support network, work deadlines or exams, or worrying about job prospects.
“Good mental health is central to flourishing and making the most of university and its opportunities. Numerous surveys in the UK and internationally indicate that approximately a third of university students experience serious emotional and mental health difficulties, including anxiety and depression, but only 20-30% access treatment*
If you or anyone you know is struggling, Samaritans are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week on 116 123.
