Student Welfare

The Senior Tutor is generally responsible for students' academic and personal welfare and provides advice, help and support for students.

She also acts as the College's Disability Lead (see below for more information about provision for students with disabilities).

The EDI and Welfare Officer, Sarah Milne Das, is available to talk with College members about any concerns and difficulties they may be experiencing and can signpost to more specialist support.

Sarah is based in the Academic Office C4 and can be contacted by email, phone (01865 278638) or Teams. [Note that C4 is a shared office but arrangements can easily be made to speak confidentially].

Mischka Byworth, the Nuffield College counsellor, is usually based in College on Tuesdays and is available to students, staff and Fellows for in-person and online sessions as appropriate. You can get in touch with Mischka via email at counsellor@nuffield.ox.ac.uk. 

Further mental health support can be found here (intranet link).

The University Counselling Service offers free and confidential advice to students, and its webpage also signposts many useful resources.

Students can now access free online support 24/7 through Togetherall (formerly Big White Wall). Togetherall is a free service giving you access to a global welfare community. To join, simply visit the official website and Register under ‘’I’m from a university or college” with your Oxford e-mail address.

The National Health Service (NHS) is the national healthcare system in the United Kingdom which is publicly funded. In order to access NHS healthcare in the UK, you must register with a doctor (also know as a General Practitioner or GP). The College Doctor is at 19 Beaumont Street (very close to the main Nuffield site), and you can register with them via the website at any time.

During the pandemic, GP consultations may initially be by phone, and this is often sufficient. As and when necessary the GP will arrange video or in person consultations. Students need to have UK mobile phone numbers as the the text messaging and video consultation service does not work with overseas numbers.

Any student needing assistance or advice regarding their medical needs should either phone the College Doctor reception team during working hours (Monday-Friday 0800-1830) or get in touch via the website. Outside of usual working hours students should contact the 111 service if they need urgent medical advice.

There is more information about NHS treatment on the University's website, and on the NHS website, for UK and international students. There are specific arrangements for EEA or Swiss students who moved to the UK before the end of 2020.

More information about sexual health, including emergency contraception, can be found on the Oxford University website and from the Oxfordshire Sexual Health Service.

If your health is affecting your studies, you should contact the Senior Tutor who can advise on the options open to you. These may include seeking additional support; applying for special arrangements for exams or extensions to deadlines; or temporarily suspending your student status.

There is further information below relevant to students with disabilities or long-term conditions.

Information about NHS dental care (including costs) can be found here and you can search for a dentist accepting NHS patients here.

Private treatment can be arranged as an alternative, but is expensive.

For out of hours emergency care, call the NHS 111 service for advice.

Nuffield is committed to supporting pregnant students and students on parental leave, and to ensuring that they are not disadvantaged as a result of their circumstances. More information can be found in the Student Handbook, and in the College's Student Parental Leave Policy.

JCR Officers can also be a source of peer support, in particular:

• the Welfare Representatives (currently Florian Brunner and Carla Grindel) 
• the JCR President (currently Eli Harris-Trent)
• Equality Representatives (currently Isabella Cuervo-Lorens and Ines Echevarria Garcia)

Nuffield is committed to protecting all members of the College from any form of harassment which might inhibit them from pursuing their work or studies or making proper use of College facilities, and the College will act positively to investigate alleged harassment and to effect a remedy or take disciplinary action when an allegation is determined to be valid.

If you believe that you or someone else is the victim of harassment or bullying you can contact Eleni or Sarah for an initial discussion. This can be either an informal chat about your concerns, or the start of a formal complaint process, depending on your circumstances and preferences.

The College will deal with complaints of harassment, bullying and discrimination in accordance with its Harassment Policy and Procedure.

You can also contact a College or University Harassment Adviser. Harassment Advisers have undergone training that helps them to listen to your concerns in a supportive and non-judgemental way; clarify your options with you and either support you in resolving the matter informally or guide you through the relevant University or College Policy and Procedure; and signpost you on to other agencies or support systems where appropriate. More information about Harassment Advisers can be found in the College Harassment Policy and Procedure and on the University website.

At Nuffield, all the people below are trained as Harassment Advisors and you are welcome to contact any of them:

• Ben Ansell
• Lucie Cluver
• Eleni Kechagia-Ovseiko
• Sarah Milne Das (identifies as BME and LGBTQ+)
• Christiaan Monden
• Maksim Zubok

You may wish to speak to a Harassment Adviser outside of the College environment, in which case you can find information about and contact details for the University Harassment Adviser network online. On this webpage you can also find specific contact details for Harassment Advisers who identify as BME; as LGBTQ; or who have received specific training in supporting survivors of sexual violence or domestic abuse.

If you have experienced sexual harassment or violence, you can consult the procedures and resources listed above; and there is also additional specialist support available to you.

The Oxford University Sexual Harassment and Violence Support Service is an all-in-one provision for any students regardless of age or gender who have been affected by sexual harassment or violence whether recent or not. They provide free support and advice, along with a safe and confidential place to be heard independent of your College and Department. The service can be contacted by emailing supportservice@admin.ox.ac.uk

Oxfordshire Sexual Abuse and Rape Crisis Centre is a local organisation which provides support to (female) survivors of sexual abuse, rape, domestic abuse, and harassment, and to anyone who is supporting them.

Oxfordshire Sexual Health service can provide confidential advice, support and medical care including emotional support and advice; STI testing and management; HIV risk assessment and Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEPSE); Hepatitis B vaccination; emergency contraception and ongoing contraception; and pregnancy testing.

Solace is a SARC (Sexual Assault Referral Centre) based in Bicester. The Centre offers support to people of all genders and sexual orientations who have experienced rape or sexual assault either recently or in the past, and to their supporters. Solace can be contacted by phone confidentially and, if you wish, anonymously.

There are many other people inside and outside of the College to whom College members – especially students – can turn for support or advice, including:

• Wellbeing at Oxford - information about Oxford University's student welfare strategy and resources
• Supportive Resources - directory of external resources collated by Oxford University about specific challenges and issues that may be faced by students
• Oxford Student Union (Oxford SU)
• Your College Supervisor
• Your University Supervisor
• Your Head of Department or Departmental Administrator
• The Samaritans
• TalkingSpace Oxford

See the College intranet pages for more information on welfare support.