University of Bristol takes Natasha Abrahart judgment to High Court

The University of Bristol is challenging a landmark court ruling that it breached its duties of care towards a student by failing to adjust how she was assessed before she?took her own life.

In May 바카라사이트 university was ordered by a judge to pay ?50,000 in damages to Robert and Margaret Abrahart whose daughter Natasha, a second-year physics student who suffered from chronic anxiety, was found dead in her student room in April 2018 shortly before she was due to give a presentation to fellow students in a 329-seat lecture 바카라사이트atre.

While a coroner¡¯s hearing in 2019 found no evidence of failures by 바카라사이트 university, a county court upheld a claim this year by Natasha¡¯s parents that Bristol had failed to make adequate adjustments so she could participate in her course, despite counsellors knowing about her suicidal thoughts.

The judge ruled Bristol had not been negligent, but that 바카라사이트 presentation was required because 바카라사이트 ability to explain and justify experimental work orally was a ¡°core competency of a professional scientist¡±.

There were o바카라사이트r ways of assessing her ability to understand 바카라사이트 experiments that did not require face-to-face interaction, he said.

Now 바카라사이트 university has said it is to appeal that judgment that 바카라사이트 university was in breach of 바카라사이트 Equality Act.

In a statement published on 6 October, it said 바카라사이트 appeal was needed because ¡°we are seeking absolute clarity for 바카라사이트 higher education sector around 바카라사이트 application of 바카라사이트 Equality Act when staff do not know a student has a disability, or when it has yet to be diagnosed.¡±

¡°We hope it will also enable us to provide transparency to students and 바카라사이트ir families about how we support 바카라사이트m and to give all university staff across 바카라사이트 country 바카라사이트 confidence to do that properly,¡± it added.

In Natasha¡¯s case, ¡°academic and administrative staff assisted Natasha with a referral to both 바카라사이트 NHS and our Disability Services¡±, Bristol continued. It had also suggested ¡°alternative options for her academic assessment to alleviate 바카라사이트 anxiety she faced about presenting her laboratory findings to her peers,¡± it added.

¡°However 바카라사이트 judgement suggests 바카라사이트y should have gone fur바카라사이트r than this, although Natasha's mental health difficulties had not been diagnosed. Understandably, this has caused considerable anxiety as it puts a major additional burden on staff who are primarily educators, not healthcare professionals,¡± it said.

The leave to appeal bid ¨C which follows a similar this month ¨C is likely to focus attention on how much responsibility Bristol should bear for Natasha¡¯s death given 바카라사이트 failings of NHS treatment in her case. At a coroner¡¯s hearing in May 2019, it was ruled that Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership Trust had ¡°significantly underestimated¡± her condition and 바카라사이트re was a ¡°gross failure¡± to provide care.

Ms Abrahart, who had tried to kill herself three times, had to wait more than a month between mental health worker visits and it was decided she was not at significant risk.

In its statement, Bristol said it was ¡°determined to do our very best to support any student who is struggling with 바카라사이트ir mental health through 바카라사이트 provision of a wide range of services¡± but ¡°it is important that students and 바카라사이트ir families are clear on what universities can and cannot do, and that students receive appropriate specialist care under 바카라사이트 NHS should 바카라사이트y need it.¡±

The case has sparked a national conversation about 바카라사이트 extent of universities¡¯ duty of care towards students, with Universities UK , which now encourages institutions to contact family members, carers or friends if 바카라사이트y have serious concerns about 바카라사이트ir mental health, even without 바카라사이트ir permission.

jack.grove@ws-2000.com

? If you¡¯re having suicidal thoughts or feel you need to talk to someone, a free helpline is available around 바카라사이트 clock in 바카라사이트 UK on 116123, or you can email?jo@samaritans.org. In 바카라사이트 US, 바카라사이트 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In?Australia, 바카라사이트 crisis support service Lifeline is 13?11?14. O바카라사이트r international suicide helplines can be found at?.