Health & Wellbeing

Have you been putting off your health check? Work, life, family taking a priority? Do you have a concern but you're not sure where to get help or turn to?

PFEW's 'first steps' guidance is here to help you - it will help find out more, where to go to for help, and finding out the best ways to either get help, or offer support.

Officers now work longer hours, have to manage incidents with less resources, have higher workloads and have taken on more responsibility - all the while maintaining a fit and healthy lifestyle required to pass the annual fitness test.

Ill health can affect anyone at any age in their lives, some issues affect both sexes, while some are gender specific. Both physical and mental health are serious considerations for the Federation.

The aim of this booklet is to provide you with some useful information and preventative advice for a healthier you.

Women's Guide to Health - Women's Health handy guide

Have you been involved in a traumatic incident?

The Police Dependents Trust in conjunction with the Federation and Oscar Kilo have produced a helpful self help guide from officers who've been involved in a traumatic incident. Click here to upload a copy.

Lifestyle Counselling Helpline & Online Support Service Helpline: 0800 177 7894 

Are you a member of the Group Insurance Scheme? If so you can access the 24/7 counselling and lifestyle helpline.

At some stage in their lives most people require advice and information on workplace and personal issues, but it can often be difficult to know where to start looking. The pressure of daily life can sometimes be stressful, but having access to the right advice and information can be helpful in combating such pressures. Arc Legal Assistance, in partnership with Care first, provide a lifestyle information and advice service as an additional benefit of the Police Officers Legal Assistance cover, via an online information library and a 24/7 information and counselling helpline service.

The Care first online service provides a library of resources, developed and maintained by a team of professionals. The online resource offers immediate information, answers and advice for a wide range of personal issues such as finance management, childcare and relationship advice, as well as health guides and tips. Resources for work related issues are also available, such as returning to work after illness, planning for retirement and working effectively.

To compliment the online resource, you also have access to a confidential 24/7 counselling and information helpline. Expert advisors, trained by Citizens Advice are at hand to provide comprehensive answers and assistance on a wide range of issues which may affect your daily life. The following are examples of the type of real life questions that Care first advisers can provide advice on:

* I've been rejected for credit how can I find out why?

* I'm going away abroad do I require vaccinations an if so which ones?

* Am I entitled to any kind of support to pay for childcare?

The helpline can also provide you with access to a telephone counselling service to provide instant support, advice and counselling on workplace or personal issues. All Care first counsellors are accredited to the British Associate for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). The Care first counsellors are available to provide support for any issues that you may wish to discuss, such as bereavement, relationships problems, stress and work-loads. The service is confidential and impartial, and no one will be informed that you have contacted Care first, you don’t even need to give your name if you don’t want to.

These services are available to you and your immediate family as part of your group insurance package. To access the online service, please visit www.arclegal.co.uk/carefirst where you will be required to enter a username and password which is available from the Fed office. Call 01603 971420 or e-mail us on Norfolk@polfed.org

To access the Lifestyle Counselling Helpline, please telephone 0800 177 7894. This service is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.