Non-medical helpers support
The University of Northampton is registered as a Non-medical helper (NMH) provider with the Department for Education (DfE).
Our Skills Hub is an online platform where students have access to tools to improve their academic skills as well as information about one to one support including Extra Library Support and Assistance (ELSA) and employability.
Specialist support provided by ASSIST
ASSIST provide a range of specialist support provisions to students with additional needs, medical conditions, specific learning differences (like dyslexia), autism spectrum conditions and mental health difficulties. This can be either in class or one a one-to-one basis.
In-class support can include note-taking, practical assistance, scribing and reading. This support may also be provided for other course activities and events, such as trips, time-constrained tests and exams, and tutorials with academic staff. Typically this support is arranged and provided by ASSIST following an assessment of student needs and the completion of an Academic Inclusion Report (AIR). To discuss additional support for your studies, please contact ASSIST to make an appointment.
One-to-one support includes specialist study skills support and mentoring support. This support is usually awarded via Disabled Student’s Allowances (DSA). Specialist one-to-one mental health support is also available through the Mental Health Advisor Service (MHAS). Please contact ASSIST or MHAS to discuss your support needs.
Feedback about support provided to students
We are constantly seeking to improve our services and the support provided to students to make sure support needs are fully understood and being met by ASSIST and the Mental Health Advisor Service.
Both services are audited by the appropriate body within the Department for Education (DfE) to ensure that we are fully compliant with a Quality Assurance Framework and providing quality support provisions that are measurable, transparent and accountable.
We value your feedback and would welcome your comments, questions and observations about the support being provided to your students being supported by ASSIST and / or MHAS. We also invite feedback from students themselves about their support, and their support provider.
If you have suggestions for improvement, or service enhancements we would like to hear from you to help us develop our provisions to meet the needs of our students and academic community.
Access to Assistive Technology
We do not currently offer site licences of Assistive Technology software; we are however looking into this and will keep this page updated with our latest information.
Audio and Video Capture
We do not currently have automatic audio or video capture of lectures.
Cancellation procedure and changing your support
It is important that you attend your support sessions on time and give your tutor/mentor/mental health advisor (your NMH provider) at least 24 hours’ notice if you are unable to attend a session. If you need to rearrange your support for any reason please contact your NMH provider providing as much notice as possible, so that the session can be allocated to another student.
Failure to attend without notice may result in your support allocation being reduced (e.g. you will lose an hour of support even if you didn’t attend if you don’t provide adequate notice). Continued absence without contact will lead to a review of your support, and may ultimately result in your support being suspended or withdrawn. If you are absent due to illness, placement or any other reason, please contact your NMH provider promptly to discuss if and when further support may be required.
If you wish to request a change of NMH provider, or to terminate your support altogether, please send a written notification to assist@northampton.ac.uk. Although you do not have to provide a reason, it is very helpful to have an understanding of why you wish to change NMH provider or cease receiving support to help us improve our services and to understand your needs better.