Two years on from the death of Jeni Larmour in student accommodation in Newcastle, the city's universities are "constantly evolving" in their approach to reducing the harm caused by drugs and alcohol.
Newcastle University student Ms Larmour, 18, died on her first night in her halls of residence and an inquest this week confirmed a verdict of "death by misadventure" - she had been drinking and also consumed a quantity of the drug ketamine "provided to her by another" before her death. At the inquest, a senior university figure said it "could never do enough" to support its students in this area.
Ms Larmour died on October 3, 2020. Two academic years later, both Newcastle and Northumbria Universities have explained how the provision of support and advice when it comes to drugs and alcohol has expanded as part of a "multi-faceted" effort to reduce harm.
Newcastle University's Lucy Backhurst - academic registrar and director of student services - told the Coroner this week how the university's policies were constantly being reassessed in light of the "changing needs" of students. Newcastle's Senior Coroner Karen Dilks found: "It's clear to me that the university's support services are constantly evolving." However, she did ask the university to look further at ensuring new students engaged with induction materials on the issues of drugs and alcohol.
Following the inquest, in a statement Ms Backhurst said: "Our thoughts are with Jeni’s family and friends at this time. Jeni was clearly an outstanding student with a bright future ahead of her and we are incredibly sad she never got the opportunity to start her academic journey with us.
"We work hard to raise awareness of the dangers of drug and alcohol use with our students and have a range of services and resources to support those affected by their own use or that of someone they know. At the same time, we are working closely with our students and the Students’ Union to enhance the services and support we provide.
"Since Jeni’s death, we have further developed our harm reduction stance on student drug and alcohol use and have introduced additional educational material that we require students to view at the start of their studies. "
The university also confirmed that it continues to work with the police and Newcastle City Council to "educate and support our students". A "city-wide" approach involving an "alcohol and drugs working group" has developed a new policy on drugs and alcohol focusing on "harm reduction", a spokesperson said.
They continued by adding that since 2020 the university had "further developed our university induction" - which now includes a "Respect module" including advice about alcohol and drug safety and "a video on the impact of alcohol and drug use, as well as the dangers of mixing the two, the signs of harm, potential dangers and where to seek help".
The university's wellbeing team has also increased in size, while it is working with schools to improve support for those approaching studenthood. The university accommodation service also offers support including seminars and workshops, while safeguarding The spokesperson added: "We have a continuous programme to raise awareness among the student body of the risks and signs of the dangers of drugs and alcohol."
Meanwhile as a direct result of Ms Larmour's death, the Newcastle University Students' Union brought in a drugs amnesty bin in the union building, accelerated the introduction of drug testing kits and produced a report outlining the case for moving to a harm reduction approach. The latter change, as Ms Backhurst explained at the inquest, involved moving away from a strictly "discipline-focused" approach.
At Northumbria University, the approach is similar. A spokesperson said: "The health and safety of our students is our number one priority. We actively encourage our students to stay safe and continue to remind them of their responsibilities and to take care of each other, particularly in social situations.”
They added that Northumbria works closely with its sister institution, the council and the police in order to share vital information about drug and alcohol - and also that guidance was available on online portals for students. Welfare advisors and health practitioners are also on hand if needed.
This comes as the city council and Northumbria Police continue to be part of the Project ADDER (Addiction, Diversion, Disruption, Enforcement, Recovery) scheme. Earlier this month, officers seized £50,000 of illegal drugs as part of a freshers' week clampdown. 38 people were arrested.
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