Mental health: The hidden toll and need for support
Police Federation of England and Wales
The true impact of mental health related illness on the police service is made abundantly clear in newly released figures.
The data, obtained by ITV News, shows more than a million work days were lost, over the last three years, due to mental health related illness.
Steve White, Chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales, said: “These figures are eye-opening but not surprising. Increased pressures, reduced officer numbers and tightening budgets create a perfect climate for poor welfare and low morale.”
The findings echo those from a survey done by the Police Federation of England and Wales earlier this year.
That survey, which looked at officer welfare and how this is affected by current demand, showed that the mental wellbeing of police officers was considerably poorer than that of the general public. Nearly two thirds of officers (65%) still went to work even though they felt they shouldn’t because of the state of their mental wellbeing.
Perhaps more worrying, is that almost half (42%) of officers felt they were poorly, or very poorly, supported by the service when they did seek help.
A smaller interview and focus group based project, conducted earlier this year, outlined the issues officers face in accessing support. These included a ‘macho’ culture that inhibited disclosure in the first place, a lack of training for line managers and long waiting lists for counselling and related services.
Steve White said: “Whilst there is support available it’s often inaccessible, inconsistent and inadequate.”
The number of officers contacting the Welfare Support Programme - a joint initiative between PFEW and the Police Firearms Officers Association - tripled in the first half of this year.
Steve White added: “We’ve taken proactive steps to better understand the issues that exist, but our findings are likely to only be the tip of the iceberg. We will use our evidence to push leaders to improve the support given to their staff because without it we risk them never revealing the true extent of their suffering.”
Notes:
- The welfare survey, commissioned in late 2015 received responses from 17,000 officers across all 43 forces in England and Wales.
- 62% said they never or rarely felt optimistic and 60% never or rarely felt relaxed
- Of those who had been off work sick in the previous 12 months, more than a quarter (29%) said one or more days of that had been due to stress, depression or anxiety
- 39% felt that their mental health problems were such that they sought help
- Of those who disclosed seeking help to their line managers, 36% felt they had not got the right support. 73% of managers said they had not been given any training on how to support a colleague who was having difficulties with mental health and wellbeing
- Officers reported feeling they were letting the team down if they took time off for stress
- Data in July showed the number of officers registered with the Welfare Support Programme had tripled in five months (311).
- In May this year we signed the Mind Blue Light Time to Change pledge, committing ourselves to challenging mental health stigmas and promoting positive wellbeing in the service.
- Recent results from the largest ever pay and morale survey completed by PFEW (43,000 respondents), outlined how over half (55.9%) of respondents said their morale was low and over two thirds (69.9%) said they wouldn’t recommend joining the service.
