Close
This page contains information for Non-Medical Helper (NMH) providers and Needs Assessors regarding support available to disabled students at UCL.
NMH is defined by the Department for Education. UCL prides itself on having good working relationships with NMH suppliers who provide support to our disabled students. These relationships allow us to ensure and monitor the quality of support being provided to our students.
This page outlines key information that NMH providers should be aware of when working with UCL students.
Contacting the team
For queries relating to:
- Access to buildings.
- A student’s welfare, progression or general concerns.
- Funding queries.
- Any correspondence with the student copied in the email.
- Sending a needs assessment report.
- Requests for feedback.
Please contact us via student.wellbeing@ucl.ac.uk. Where communication is about a particular student, make sure that you include their name, student ID number (if you know it) and the type of NMH support being provided.
Student of concern
If there are serious concerns about a student's health, safey or wellbeing, the Student of Concern portal should be used.
Invoices and quotes
To send quotes and invoices, and to make any queries regarding an invoice, please contact us via ssw-disabilitymentalhealth@ucl.ac.uk - this is a staff and supplier inbox only.
Room bookings for NMH support
The NMH provider is required to and responsible for arranging a suitable meeting space, agreed by the student, to undertake the support.
Student Support and Wellbeing Services do not provide rooms for support sessions, however, students can book a free study space within the UCL Libraries estate.
Provide this link to your student if they wish to book a study space in a UCL library.
Access to some libraries may be limited to students who study within the linked department. If a student is struggling to book a study space, please ask to contact lib-accessibility@ucl.ac.uk.
External organisations and companies can book a room (at cost) via our Room Bookings department. To book a room through our Room Bookings department please contact them directly:
- Call on +44 (0) 20 31087577
- Email UCL Room Bookings at roombookings@ucl.ac.uk
Alternatively, you may look at booking a space in the British Library (requires membership) or Friends House.
Access to UCL buildings
UCL has a very wide and often restrictive campus.
We have provided a list of NMH providers known to be working with UCL students to security services. It is expected that all support workers working on site at UCL have an ID card provided by the NMH provider they are employed by.
If staff providing support to students ‘in class’ find that they are having difficulty in accessing a particular part of our campus and require an UCL ID card, please contact Student Support and Wellbeing Services via email with the following information:
- Name
- Preferred title e.g Mr, Ms, Mx etc .
- Name of the NMH provider that you are working for
- Name of the student you are supporting
- Date of Birth
- Mobile Phone Number
- Name of the building(s) that you are trying to access.
Where NMH providers are working in laboratories or workshops, a health and safety induction may be necessary. This will be at the discretion of the student’s department.
Finance information
If you are a new supplier to UCL, please ensure that you have provided us with the following information (on company headed or stamped paper) prior to beginning the assignment:
- Full company name (as registered with Companies House)
- Company Registration number
- Head office address
- Payment address (if different from head office)
- Telephone Number
- Email address for order
- Remittance email address (if different)
- Bank Details and a sentence stating “please pay via BACS payment”.
All invoices should be sent electronically to Student Support and Wellbeing Services via our staff and supplier-only admin email.
Invoices should clearly state the student's name and must be supported with electronic copies of timesheets, with all sessions signed/approved by the student, plus the following statement: “please pay via BACS payment”.
When DSA will be exceeded
NMH providers must notify UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services if it is estimated that a student is going to exceed their DSA (Disabled Students' Allowances) provision. Payment of support above the student’s agreed DSA allowance will need to be pre-approved.
In these circumstances, please contact Student Support and Wellbeing Services as soon as it is clear that there will be an overspend (the student’s DSA2 will usually indicate this) to discuss what support can and will be funded by UCL.
Missed sessions and cancellations
UCL will fund for two late cancellations by the student each term but you must clearly indicate the reason and the amount of notice given on the invoice and/or timesheet, eg. student sickness (less than 24 hours’ notice). If a student has more than two late cancellations in a term, then a meeting with a DMHW adviser, the NMH and the student is required before support can be resumed.
Information for Needs Assessors
Needs assessment reports
All needs assessment reports should be sent to student.wellbeing@ucl.ac.uk.
Support provided by UCL
UCL is a registered provider of Band 4 specialist study skills support for students with a Specific Learning Diffiference (SpLD) or Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC) diagnosis.
Our support is delivered online and we offer sessions Tuesday – Thursday between 10am and 4pm.
Contact Details
- Email us at studyskills@ucl.ac.uk
- Call us on +44 (0)20 3108 8836
View our rates for NMH provision.
We also offer specialist mentoring support, but it is not under DSA funding. Please feel free to contact us through askUCL for more details.
Other NMH support
Support for students within Bands 1 and 2
UCL will fund and support students who require support within Bands 1 and 2. UCL currently sources support from Randstad, Equality Focus and Complete Communication. Should these suppliers be unable to fulfil a student’s timetable or access needs, we will reach out to other approved suppliers.
For exam scribes and readers, we often recruit from the UCL postgraduate community, as well as our current suppliers. Interested in working with us as an NMH? Please email us at student.wellbeing@ucl.ac.uk.
Support for D/deaf students
UCL has a good working relationship with Deaf Student Solutions and Terptree and will source interpreters and communication support from these agencies when funding support for students, such as interim funding.
Specialist mentoring support
UCL works closely with Equality Focus and UMO to provide specialist mentoring support to our students, for both mental health mentoring and Autistic Spectrum Condition mentoring. Both providers have locations close to UCL in which to see students, making them a suitable option for our students.