Health Support
All RCA students have access to the NHS. Registering with a GP will allow you to access physcial and mental health treatment when you need it. Find your GP here.
If you require immediate help with symptons that are non life-threatening, you can use the NHS 111 service. You can call 111 or use the online service.
In any life-threatening emergencies, you should call 999 and ask for an ambulance.
If you are an international student, you may need to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) to register with the NHS. Find out more here.
Health Support
The Royal College of Art has partnered with Imperial College Health Centre to offer all students free medical services, regardless of their postcode or catchment area. Visit the website for more info.
RCA Student Support
The RCA Student Support team offers advice and support to all RCA students on topics including disability, mental health, international student support, financial advice, employment, housing and more.
You can drop in to the Student Centre (ground floor Stevens Building, Kensington) to talk to the team from 10am - 4pm, Monday - Friday.
Book an appointment or find other ways to contact the team here.
External Support
Student Space offers free support services to students over the phone, text, webchat or email. Learn more here.
Victim Support provides free and confidential support to victims of a crime or traumatic incident. You do not need to report the incident to the police to access this service. Call on 08081689111 or contact them here.
Switchboard is the natonal LGBTQ+ helpline. You can call them on 08000119100 or speak to them here.
Urgent Mental Health or Crisis Support
If on campus, a member of staff with Mental Health First Aid Training can assist, please see the details below under Mental Health First Aid.
At any time you can call 111 to be directed to the best service for yourself or another individual.
The Samaritans is a free talking service for people in emotional distress or at risk of suicide. You can call them on 116 123 to talk to someone at any time, day or night.
Nightline is a support service specifically for students and is avilable overnight. Call them on 0207 631 0101.
Mental Health First Aid
At the RCA there are staff who are trained to support individuals with mental ill-health or experiencing a mental health crisis. See the list of Mental Health First Aid trained staff from Student Support below. You can contact staff if you have concerns about about a fellow student.
Taking Time Off
Sometimes you may need to take time off from your studies to support your mental health/health. We've put together this template to help you let your tutor know - feel free to pick the reason you're most comfortable with disclosing
Dear __________
I am unable to attend teaching [today/this week] due to [feeling unwell/having to to take time off to focus on my wellbeing/mental health]
Best wishes
_____________
If you need to take a longer period of absence, you should notify the College through either the Leave of Absense request form or Short Absense request form, which can be found here.
PhD/MPhil Leave of Absence forms can be found here.
Disability Support
The College provides support to any student with a disability. This includes long-term medical or mental health conditions, including eating disorders and specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia and dyspraxia.
You will need to set up an Inclusion Plan to access the necessary adjustments for your studies and assessments. The Inclusion Plan is created by the Student Support team who will help to identify your needs.
To access support for a disability, please complete this online form.
You can book an appointment with Student Support's Disability advisor here.
A free accessible shuttle bus runs between the campuses every 2 hours. The bus is equipped with a ramp at the rear. You can view the bus timetable on the homepage of the RCA Intranet here.