Page 15 - Bedfed Conf2016 Flip Book

Film reveals the effects of mental health crisis
Four officers who had experienced mental health issues talked about their experiences in a film shown to conference on the Wednesday morning.
The officers gave a powerful insight into the effects of mental illness on their lives, both personally and professionally, as part of a session called ‘How blue is the thin blue line? Police officers and mental health’.
The session relied quite heavily on academic studies, showing a significant increase in officers suffering mental health issues, but it was the stories told by these four officers – described at the outset as ‘four voices in a choir of men’ – that had the more lasting impact, particularly when one of them said of their force: “I thought they would show me more compassion.”
Che Donald, the national Federation’s lead on officer welfare and mental health, introduced the session saying forces had a statutory duty of care to officers and also pointed out that the Federation should also be on hand to support officers suffering mental health issues.
“We need to know how many officers are experiencing this and we need to know the reasons why,” he explained, saying the Federation needed to know the extent of the problem which was vital if it was to make a business case for change, “Without this, nothing will change and officers and their families will suffer.”
Professor Jonathan Houdmont from the university of Nottingham was the first speaker to provide the statistical evidence underpinning the Federation’s calls for more support for officers suffering mental illness.
He led the Federation’s nationwide survey on officer stress and mental health in February this year which attracted 17,434 responses and highlighted some of the findings in relation to officers’ views on demand and capacity with the majority expressing concerns about staffing arrangements.
He concluded that officers were under pressure trying to balance demand and capacity to meet that demand, policing is stressful, the mental wellbeing of police officers is considerably poorer than that found in the general adult population, a large proportion of officers have sought help for mental health and wellbeing matters, there is a mixed perception of the support available and there is scope to improve the training available to line managers so they can offer support to their colleagues.
His interim survey report will be released in September this year with the full report being published in spring 2017.
Steve White, national Federation chairman, with regional Federation representative Hayley Aley (centre) and Faye McGuinness of MIND’s Blue Light Programme and the Federation’s Time to Change signed pledge.
The next speaker was Stephen Bevan, head of HR research development at the Institute of employment Studies, who said there were lessons to be learned in terms of: l Tackling cultural barriers, encouraging
openness and acceptance in relation to
mental illnesses
l The support available following a major
trauma being generally good but the cumulative effect of a build-up of stress often being neglected
l The need for early access to support l Support being needed to promote job
retention and a return to work
l Following good practice within other
forces.
He concluded: “Treating the symptoms and not the underlying causes will not be enough.”
The session included an outline of the work of MIND’s Blue Light Programme by its manager Faye McGuinness, covering its Phase 1 work in reducing stigma and raising awareness, workplace wellbeing webinars, resilience building, information and support, and improved support pathways as well as forthcoming Phase 2 work such as the Blue Light Time to Change Pledge, mental health networks and research finds and analysis.
Faye encouraged officers to get involved with the programme by becoming Blue Light Champions, asking their forces to sign the Blue Light Time To Change Pledge or watching the charity’s webinars.
Stuart Haythorn then gave an overview of the 24-hour Welfare Support Programme which is currently being used by 32 forces to
offer support to officers in three main groups: those involved in deaths or serious incidents, those suspended from work or subject to gross misconduct procedures or those thought to be at risk.
The final speaker in the session was Dr Ian Hesketh, the organisational wellbeing adviser at the College of Policing, who offered simple advice to anyone suffering stress or emotional issues: “Don’t be afraid to ask for help.”
OURREPsAYs
“It was highlighted that professional
relationships are lacking between staff and managers and more worrying is the lack of provision in training and the perception that the police service doesn’t care. We heard from four officers/staff members who had all suffered from mental illness of some sort and the underlying theme seemed to be that they felt undervalued and not believed. It has to be remembered that the Force has a statutory duty of care for its staff, however, I am aware that Bedfordshire, from what I have seen, has its finger on the pulse on this subject.
“If you think that someone would benefit from additional support, contact the Federation office and full details can be sent to that individual.” Chris Smith
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