Caius Welfare Information

If you are in need of support yourself, or worried about someone else, there is plenty of support available! Please don’t hesitate to reach out to a member of the MCR Committee, especially one of our lovely Welfare Officers or minority officers such as LGBTQ+, BME, or International, for a chat or for signposting towards further support. You can find all the emails for the various Committee members on the MCR Committee web page.

Mental Health Contacts

In an Emergency

  • Porters
    • If you’re around town and need urgent help, the Porters’ Lodge is open and manned 24/7. They are also available to chat over the phone at +44 (0)1223 332400 or may be able to come to your room to help. The porters are specially trained to offer mental health support in emergencies. Alternatively, if you are not near a Caius Porters’ Lodge, any other College’s porters are trained appropriately and will be more than happy to help a University member in need.
  • NHS 111 (Option 2)
    • You can call 111 (the non-emergency NHS number, available 24/7) and press option 2 (for mental health issues) if you or someone you know requires urgent care, but it is not life-threatening. For example:
      • if you have an existing mental health problem and your symptoms get worse.
      • if you experience a mental health problem for the first time.
      • if someone has self-harmed but it does not appear to be life-threatening, or is talking about wanting to self-harm.
      • if a person is experiencing domestic violence or physical, sexual or emotional abuse.
    • You will be put through to a member of the NHS First Response team, who will be a mental health nurse or social worker. They are experienced in talking to people in distress and will provide guidance to help you manage the situation and your feelings. They have information on all the health, social and voluntary services available to support you and can refer you to these if deemed necessary.
  • A&E
    • If you or someone else is experiencing a life-threatening medical or mental health emergency, please visit the local A&E department at Addenbrooke’s Hospital. A taxi can be supplied by College if you ring the Porters. The team at A&E will tend to your physical and mental health needs. They will assess you, decide on the best course of care, and whether you can go home or need to be admitted to the hospital.
  • Samaritans – For Everyone
  • SHOUT – A Text Service for Everyone
    • Phone number: Text SHOUT to 85258 (24/7)
  • Nightline – For Everyone
  • CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) – For Those Identifying as Male
    • Phone number: 0800 58 58 58 (5pm – midnight, 365 days a year)
    • Website: thecalmzone.net
  • Papyrus – For Under-35s
    • Phone number: 0800 068 41 41 (10am – 10pm weekdays, 2pm-10pm weekends and 2pm-5pm Bank Holidays) 
    • Website: papyrus-uk.org
  • BEAT – For Anyone Struggling with Disordered Eating
  • Switchboard – For Those Identifying as LGBTQ+
    • Phone number: 0300 330 0630 (10am – 10pm every day)
    • Website: switchboard.lgbt

In the Short-Term

  • MCR Welfare and LGBTQ+ Officers

    Your MCR Welfare Officers are Carmen Watson (cdlw2) and Neelima Mundayur (nrm41) for women and non-binary people, as well as Joe Eloi (joe24) and George Carter (gtc30) for men. They are always around and happy to talk to you about whatever welfare issues you may be facing, so please do email them or speak to them in person at any time!

  • College Nurse and Mental Health and Wellbeing Advisor
    • Anne Limon Duparcmeur is our friendly College nurse, offering confidential appointments to discuss any welfare issues that you might be having.
    • You can go along and just have a talk with her about whatever might be troubling you, but she is also able to refer you for counselling if requested.
    • Information about booking an appointment and clinic opening times can be found at intranet.cai.cam.ac.uk/caius-health-centre/online-appointment-booking-and-clinic-times.
    • Meanwhile, Rachel Winson, the College’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Advisor, works with Anne to support students in both individual and group settings. She is responsible for providing individual support to students at risk of deterioration in their mental state and also works to support students experiencing difficulties by promoting the maintenance of positive mental health and personal resilience, as well as providing a crisis response when needed. Topics include relaxation and sleep, self-care, life skills, balancing work and leisure and practical support.
  • Postgraduate Tutor

    Your postgraduate tutor is responsible for your general welfare in Cambridge and is a good source of advice and information. You should have heard from them when you moved to Cambridge – please let our MCR president Tejas (mcr.president@cai.cam.ac.uk) know if this is not the case. If you send him an email to chat about this, he will point you in the right direction – if he doesn’t reply, please do send another one as emails are easily missed!

  • Chaplain

    The Revd Dr Cally Hammond is the College Dean. She offers pastoral support to all students at Caius, whatever their beliefs are. You can speak to her in complete confidence about any issues you may be facing. Either send her an email (acting.dean@cai.cam.ac.uk), find her at L3 Caius Court, or attend Chapel (more information can be found at intranet.cai.cam.ac.uk/chapel/chapel-services). Chapel services, and the Chapel itself, are open to individuals of any (or no) faith.

  • University Counselling Service (UCS)
    • The University Counselling Service provides support on a number of mental health issues, ranging from anxiety and identity issues to sexual problems and depression.
    • More information about the service and how to make an appointment can be found at counselling.cam.ac.uk/studentcouns.
    • Information about different workshops and counselling groups can be found at counselling.cam.ac.uk/studentcouns/studentgroups.
  • Mental Health Advice Service (MHAS)
  • Students’ Union’s Advice Service
    • The Students’ Union’s Advice Service can help with a number of issues, especially those requiring knowledge of the inner workings of the University or when some action is needed to deal with a systemic problem. They can also initiate a mediation process if you have a conflict with your supervisor.
    • During Full Term, they run a drop-in service that requires no appointment on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 12 pm until 2 pm.
    • You can find out more information on their website at studentadvice.cam.ac.uk/contacts.
  • General Practitioner (GP)
    • Most GP surgeries have a number of emergency same-day appointments you can book if you ring first thing in the morning when the phone lines open (usually 8 am). Alternatively, you can ring later in the day and book a routine appointment (which may be booked for any time in the following two weeks) via the receptionists. Your GP is available to talk through your problems, issue medication and refer you to counselling services.
  • Talk About It!
    • Talk to someone you trust! Reach out to friends or family who can support you, listen to you, and keep you safe.
  • Blurt Foundation
    • The Blurt Foundation is a charity that aims to increase awareness and understanding of depression and anxiety.
    • They have many helpful articles on their website (blurtitout.org) and Facebook Page (facebook.com/Blurtitout).
  • Beth Evans
    • Beth Evans illustrates many of her struggles (mental health and otherwise) in lovely pictures on her Instagram. Have a look through them at instagram.com/bethdrawsthings and find some solidarity with how you’re feeling!
  • Headspace
    • Headspace is a meditation app designed to reduce stress and encourage good sleeping habits with guided meditations and mindfulness techniques.
    • More info can be found on their website at headspace.com.
  • Student Minds Cambridge
    • Student Minds Cambridge is a mental health group campaigning for better provisions and a more open discussion of mental heath issues in the University.
    • They have a helpful guide listing lots of places to get support for mental health issues in Cambridge (findsupportcam.com) and they often post helpful articles and advice on their Facebook Page (facebook.com/StudentMindsCam).

In the Long-Term

  • Support from Caius
    • The MCR Officers, College Nurse, Mental Health and Wellbeing Advisor, Tutors and Chaplain are all available to support you long-term. Just reach out as above!
  • Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Talking Therapies
    • You can self-refer for this service at cpft.nhs.uk/self-refer-here. After an initial telephone appointment with a Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner (PWP), you can be referred to services such as counselling, wellbeing groups, CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy), or IPT (Interpersonal Therapy).
  • RCE Wellbeing Hub
    • The RCE Wellbeing Hub (formerly known as Recovery College East) is an NHS-funded service offering bitesize courses, both online and face-to-face, on a variety of topics aimed at supporting our own mental health and wellbeing and that of those around us. You can apply for this service and access more information, including a list of their current course offerings, at cpft.nhs.uk/rce-wellbeing-hub. You can also email them at RCEWellbeingHub@cpft.nhs.uk – they are very friendly!
  • Private Counselling/Therapy

For Somebody Else

Sexual and Reproductive Health Contacts

  • The MCR
    • The Caius MCR provides students with sexual and reproductive health supplies for free. These include condoms, Durex play lubricant sachets and pregnancy tests. There are also sanitary items (tampons and pads) provided in Harvey Road MCR toilets as well as toilets across the Old Courts.
  • General Practitioner (GP)
    • You can arrange an appointment with your GP or nurse to discuss contraceptive options and/or sexual health issues.
  • The Lime Tree Clinic
    • The Lime Tree Clinic is the local sexual health clinic for Cambridge, located at Brookfields Campus, 351 Mill Road, CB1 3DF. They offer both telephone appointments and face-to-face appointments according to your needs. They offer contraception and STI advice, testing, and treatment. Online bookings (which can be made at icash.nhs.uk/where-to-go/icash-cambridgeshire/lime-tree-clinic-cambridge) are available for some symptomatic appointments, or you can ring them at 0300 300 3030, from 9 am until 4 pm Monday to Friday.
  • Online/Postal STI Kits
    • If you are aged between 16 and 24, you can order a free chlamydia postal testing kit at tht.org.uk/our-services/sexual-health/free-chlamydia-postal-test-kits. It is discretely posted to you, and afterwards, by following the instructions, you can easily return it by post and receive the results by your choice of text, email, or telephone. You can also access a free postal STI kit, as well as other sexual health services and advice, by registering with SH.UK at sh.uk/welcome, a free online sexual health service.