Virtual wellbeing and physiotherapy support

8 January 2021

Mental health and physiotherapy support will still be available to members who subscribe to the Police Treatment Centres (PTC) during lockdown.

The PTC announced the temporary closure of both of its rehabilitation centres this week following the Prime Minister’s address to the nation on Monday.

“At the core of this decision is the need to keep our employees and patients safe,” said Patrick Cairns, the chief executive officer at the PTC, “We need to respect the intent behind the legislation which is to reduce the transference of the virus from person to person.”

But staff have been working hard to ensure people will be given wellbeing and physiotherapy support, either virtually or remotely.

In a statement earlier this week, Patrick reassured all current members accessing the centres’ wellbeing programme that they will be hearing from the nursing team with information on what support they will be given.

“They will also be offered access to the Thrive App, which is the only NHS approved mental health app available in the UK and can be used to manage stress and improve wellbeing,” he added.

“Likewise, all those booked onto the residential physiotherapy programme will be contacted by the team and if appropriate will be offered remote treatment.”

The remote physiotherapy service will continue, offering both current and new patients, online treatment from clinicians. Work on the new clinical services wing has been able to continue and is on track for completion in the spring.

Patrick added: “We would like to thank everyone for their understanding. We are very much aware that our police officers have worked tirelessly throughout the whole of the pandemic, often at great risk to their own physical and mental health.

“We would like to reassure everyone that we will re-open our doors at the very earliest moment and look forward to getting back to delivering our class-leading treatment plans to the best police service in the world.”

The PTC is a charity which provides treatment and support for injured and ill police officers and retired officers, including a psychological wellbeing programme as well as police-specific physiotherapy and rehabilitation.

It has two treatment centres at St Andrews, in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, and Castlebrae in Auchterarder, Perthshire.

The treatment centres are available to all serving Derbyshire officers, PCSOs, Special Constables and detention and custody officers. Retired officers can also sign up at a lower rate.

The centres are supported by voluntary donations from the police family. Officers currently make a donation from their pay of £1.80 per week.

Almost 4,000 serving and retired officers usually attend the two centres each year with most receiving intensive physiotherapy. Others seek support with stress-related conditions or anxiety and depression as part of a psychological wellbeing programme.

Sign up form for serving officers.