Federation welcomes NPCC mental health initiative

30 November 2021

The chair of West Midlands Police Federation urged members not to suffer in silence as he welcomed moves to adopt a uniform set of standards for supporting the mental health of officers.

Jon Nott hopes a pledge signed by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) will break down barriers and stigmas for officers in seeking the support they need.

Jon’s comments follow the Royal Foundation’s Emergency Services Mental Health Symposium, which saw 200 leaders from across police, fire, ambulance, and search and rescue from the four nations come together for the first time to address the mental health of their workforces.

NPCC chair Martin Hewitt signed the Mental Health at Work Commitment, endorsing six standards, including declaring mental health is, and will remain, a strategic priority, and encouraging forces to promote an open culture around mental health.

Jon said: “Policing the pandemic has taken its toll on officers and more than three quarters have admitted to experiencing mental health or wellbeing difficulties in the past year. That’s a startling statistic.

“I welcome the NPCC’s commitment to making officers’ mental health a strategic priority and hopefully it will help break down those barriers that stop our members coming forward.

“It’s been a really difficult two years and I’d urge officers not to suffer in silence. Make that call, speak to a rep and get the help you need and deserve.

The symposium saw the launch of a Blue Light Together package of mental health support for the emergency services, developed by The Royal Foundation and other partner organisations.

Through a new Blue Light Together website from Mind, information and advice to help emergency responders with their mental health has been shared, including real life stories and tips from colleagues working in the field and guides for employers so they can support their teams with their wellbeing.

Working in partnership with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), the Royal Foundation is also funding the creation of a directory of therapists who have experience of specialising in addressing the complex mental health needs of emergency responders.

The event included a live panel session involving senior emergency services leaders who spoke about their personal experiences with mental health struggles, alongside speeches by the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Dame Cressida Dick, Health Secretary Sajid Javid, mental health charity Mind’s CEO Paul Farmer and The Duke of Cambridge.

The Federation’s national chair, John Apter, who attended the event, said: “Policing and other emergency services have talked a lot about how they are supporting the mental health of their workforce for a number of years, and there have been some improvements.

“The pledge that has been agreed to by the NPCC is a massive step forward, but chiefs have got to make sure it delivers something tangible as too many colleagues are being failed on daily basis; I have spoken to officers who are truly broken, and on many occasions this was completely avoidable.

“Rather than continuing to stick plasters over gaping wounds, it is key the service focuses on prevention.

“In policing, we cannot get away from attending traumatic incidents, but we can do more to ensure there is better support for them and their families, and better training in place for supervisors and managers so they can recognise and address the issues.”

Find information, ideas and support to help look after your mental health at Blue Light Together.