Staffordshire Police Federation wellbeing lead Claire Bond has called for a more proactive approach to mental health support for police officers and said the focus must now switch from reactive to preventative measures.
Claire said great progress had been made on officer wellbeing in recent years but much work still needed to be done.
Speaking as Mental Health Awareness Week 2022 drew to a close, she said: “It is absolutely fantastic that there is a week dedicated to raising awareness around mental health issues but we have to remember that, although we have been bringing it to the attention of people during this week, this really is an all-year-round thing.
“It is not a case of getting some good work done this week and then hitting the pause button for the rest of the year, we have to keep the ball rolling and make it part of our Wellbeing Timetable.”
Claire said it was important to try to take action before an officer suffered a breakdown or reached a critical stage as this could prevent any emotional damage becoming irreversible.
“Staffordshire Police Federation is trying to take more of a preventative approach,” she said.
“We have found that a lot of officers are very quiet about things, they just get on with it shift after shift, day after day, week after week.
“But eventually their box becomes full and they don't know who to talk to and the trouble is it then becomes almost like a disease that will grow invisibly under the skin.
“If we can try to prevent things from growing and becoming out of control then hopefully we will have fewer people being poorly.”
Earlier this year Claire was honoured for her work at the #InsideOut Awards 2022 where she won the individual accolade in the ‘large employer of the year’ category.
Claire was the driving force behind the introduction of the ‘Thrive’ mental health and wellbeing app across the Force last June and has also led a number of wellbeing conferences to help officers boost morale and most recently, recover from the impact of the covid-19 pandemic.
By the end of 2020, the ‘Thrive’ app was made available to all 3,500 officers and staff across Staffordshire Police and was also being made available to their friends and family if needed.
Claire said: “For us, successes are sometimes the small ones where we have been able to assist people and offer our support straight away rather than signposting them to their GP or occupational health where they then have to go on a waiting list.
“After a review on why people have been off sick, it is clear that anxiety and stress have taken over as the top two reasons. We need to get people to talk, we need people to understand it is a strength to ask for help and it is OK, not to be OK.”
Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) wellbeing secretary Belinda Goodwin said forces had delivered much in the way of provisions for officers’ mental health and wellbeing in recent years but warned against complacency.
Writing on the PFEW website for Mental Health Awareness Week (9 to 16 May), she said: “There is still further work to be done around breaking down the cultural stigma surrounding mental health.
“How often as working adults do we wake up in the morning with slight aches and pains? But it is the same with our mental health.
“It is normal to feel differently from one day to another and nothing to feel ashamed of but take action when you feel it is impacting on your day-to-day life.
“Seek help at the earliest opportunity, like any physical injury, the sooner you get a diagnosis or support, the sooner you can start treatment and feel improvements.”
The National Police Wellbeing Service Oscar Kilo has created a webpage detailing support networks and mental health charity Mind has an online platform called Blue Light Together which provides information and advice to help emergency responders with their mental health.
Mental Health Awareness Week, hosted by the Mental Health Foundation, ran from Monday 9 May to Sunday 15 May.
Read Belinda’s Mental Health Awareness Week blog.
Staffordshire Police Federation members who need support should email Claire at Claire.Bond@polfed.org.
