Question
1a) Can you provide us the figures on how many Written Improvement Notices have been issued by the PSNI to officers after the submission of an application for Ill-Health or Injury on Duty Retirements (please provide annual figures as far back as possible)?
1b) Of all officers pursuing Ill-Health or Injury on Duty Retirements, how many had already been issued a Written Improvement Notice prior to the submission of their application?
2) Can you please clarify the PSNI's policy in dealing with and addressing trauma (i.e., PTSD and other job-related mental health issues) in the workplace, particularly for frontline officers?
3) What training and/or inductions are available for PSNI recruits and officers in training or probation? Additionally, are there ongoing training opportunities or refresher courses offered throughout officers' careers?
Answer
1a)
For the period of 2022/23 there were 8 Written Improvement Notices issued to individuals who had commenced the IHR application process. During 2023/24 to date, there have been 19.
1b)
For the period of 2022/23 there were 9 Written Improvement Notices issued prior to the submission of an application. During 2023/24 to date, there have been 11.
2)
We do not have a specific documented policy in relation to this. Our strategy with regard to mental health is to focus on building resilience and developing a trauma informed workforce. Our People Strategy and Annual People Action Plans outline our approach to supporting our people.
The PSNI offers a range of mental health services available for all officers and staff. The overarching aim is to educate the organisation to be more aware of trauma and the impact of policing on mental health while providing a range of services to mitigate this impact. OHW Mental Health Services endeavour to implement recommendations in National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline NG212 ‘Mental Wellbeing at work’.
As recommended by NICE, PSNI implements a tiered approach to mental wellbeing in the workplace and has adopted a preventive and proactive strategic approach to mental wellbeing at work.
Services provided include:
Promoting Self-care and welfare conversations
ME App
This mental health self-evaluation application is available for all officers and staff on both common terminals and mobile devices. This new app will help colleagues evaluate, better understand their mental health and track their own mental health. It also provides useful tips, advice and resources whilst also providing information on how to access help if needed.
Access Wellbeing & Trauma Resilience Libraries
The wellbeing library enables all PSNI officers and staff to loan a wide range of over 120 hard copy books designed to promote psychological resilience, mental wellbeing, psychoeducation, self-care and self-administered biblio-therapies for a wide range of mental health conditions.
Access to the National Library of Policing
A link is available to this resource on the OHW Mental Health Services (MHS) POINT page directing individuals to a wide range of online psychoeducational and biblio-therapeutic resources to support the mental health of police officers and staff whilst promoting the sharing of mental health resources across all UK police forces on one platform.
Access to therapeutic resources via MHS POINT page. Links are available to: The Wellbeing Hub, Stress Control NI, AWARE overcoming depression, MindfitCop, Better Sleep Toolkit, Stay Well Road Trip, Blue Light Together, Oscar Kilo, Self Help leaflets for a range of mental health difficulties, Community resources, and resources for families.
The Wellbeing Series
Accessible on MHS page POINT. The OHW MHS has worked in partnership with the Police College to develop three e-learning modules.
These aim to increase our understanding of mental health within the police workforce, trauma informed practice and strategies we can use to bolster out psychological resilience within work. The modules are now imbedded into Student Officer Development Programme and Probationer Development Programme for new student officers and probationers early in their policing career. Each module takes approximately 2 hours to review but can be completed gradually at your own pace on a voluntary nature.
Are You Worth It Series
Accessible on MHS page POINT. The OHW Mental Health Service have produced a number of wellbeing podcasts alongside Dr Jess Miller a leading expert in police mental health and author of the Police Mind. Podcasts were recorded on webex and developed in partnership with serving officer and staff including a Chief Inspector (District Commander / Mental Health Champion) and OHWs Peer Support Co-ordinator. Each podcast lasts approximately 20-30mins to review and can be completed gradually at your own pace.
The Wellbeing Trauma Resilience Plan
This is available in hard copy and electronically. It is a self-guided psychoeducational tool co-created by police officers and staff to help individuals consider the potential impact of their policing role and exposure to work related trauma, their psychological wellbeing and the actions they can take to be more mentally resilient in the line of duty.
Psychological Wellbeing & Resilience in The Workforce Series
The OHW MHS working in partnership with the Police College has developed bespoke training for line managers to support their understanding of mental ill health within the policing workforce, help them consider the steps they can take to bolster resilience in the workplace, how to have a welfare conversation and the current forms of therapeutic resource that are available to those within the PSNI. This resource can be accessed via a pre-recording on WebEx of the training and last approximately 40 minutes. Accessible on MHS POINT page. Alternatively line managers can request to attend
First Line Manager Development Programme at the Police College to receive this brief training on a face to face basis.
NES National Trauma training Videos
The National Education For Scotland (NES) has produced a number of excellent videos and guidance documents on the universal impact that trauma can have not only on the general public but those within occupations that predispose them to a high frequency of Trauma Hazards at work. NES recognises that trauma informed care and trauma informed practice should be a priority for everyone including organisations whose employees are exposed to highly stressful or traumatic events, experiences, interactions or aspects of forensic material at work. Accessible on MHS point page.
TIER 1
Peer Support Services & TIPT
Trauma Impact Prevention Techniques (TIPT): TIPT is a psychoeducational training programme designed by Police Care UK alongside the University of Cambridge specifically for those who work in operational policing. It attempts to equip healthy police officers and staff with pro-active self-care strategies that can help them to minimise the potential impact of recent operational incidents or experiences that have the potential to be highly stressful or traumatic in nature. Numerous training sessions have been delivered and individuals can enrol via the Police College.
Wellbeing Volunteers
Non- Accredited proactive mental health champions trained in peer support, mental health awareness, basic therapeutic skills, suicide prevention and psychological first aid. This is self-referral.
Post Incident Peer Support Team (PIPST)
Accredited (International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, ICISF) mental health champions who reactively provide Post Incident Stress Management under clinical governance of OHW 24/7 for officers of staff who have recently been involved in a potentially TRAUMATIC or HIGHLY STRESSFUL WORK-RELATED INCIDENT. This can be accessed by self-referral or management referral.
TIER 2
Early Interventions
Modified GTEP (Group Traumatic Events Protocol) Pilot: GTEP is a preventative intervention that has been developed to enable the provision of group based Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). EMDR therapy is an extensively researched, effective therapy proven to help people recover from work related trauma and other distressing life experiences. It is informed and guided by the principles of the adaptive information processing (AIP) model (Shapiro, 2007). Modified GTEP Pilot has been adapted from the original protocol to meet the needs of the policing population and aid recovery following recent exposure to a trauma hazard. Individuals can self-refer. Managers can request this intervention with individuals consent.
Inspire Counselling: Officers and staff can self-refer and receive up to 6 sessions (per year) from an independent security vetted self-referral counselling service with personal or organisational stressors which are likely to be short term in nature causing occupational stress or mild psychological distress.
Physical Health and Wellbeing Services: The PH&W team, includes the PSNI’s Personal Trainers (PT’s) who over a wide range of services designed to improve the health of individuals and the organisation, including: Physical Rehabilitation, Exercise Prescription, Provision of Equipment and Provision of Wellbeing Initiatives. PSNI is unique in its provision of dedicated gym facilities at numerous sites throughout PSNI.
TIER 3
OHW Mental Health Services
Low intensity psychological therapies aimed at helping individuals recover from the impact of Organisational stressors, which are likely to be short term in nature, causing mild to moderate psychological distress. Management referral is required.
TIER 4
OHW Mental Health Services
High intensity psychological therapies aimed at helping individuals recover from the impact of organisational stressors, causing significant disruption to their level of functioning in work and reporting moderate to severe psychological distress. Management referral is required.
TIER 5
Community Services and GP
OHW Mental Health services are not a replacement for community services and there are times when it is more clinically appropriate for clients to be directed to NHS mental health services by seeking a referral through their GP. For example: for Mental Health Conditions that require highly specialist forms of treatment (e.g. risk of self-harm or suicidality, chronic mental health conditions, peri-natal conditions, eating disorder, body dysmorphic disorder, psychosis, addictions, problems stemming from neurodiversity).
3)
Please find information below which should assist with this query. It is understood this question is specifically about trauma and mental health related training. Mental health is covered from many angles across PSNI training programmes so this list is not exhaustive.
Initial training – Student Officer Development Programme
A Resilience and Wellbeing lesson is provided to new officers and is being updated in conjunction with our OHW department. Module 1 and 2 is for student officers and module 3 will be completed during the probationary officer programme. Below is a synopsis of the three modules:
Module 1 explains how the complexity of the human brain can sometimes play tricks on us by over-activating our threat protection system. It also discusses the warning signs that you may be suffering mental ill-health.
Module 2 adds to this by describing how repeated exposure to the risks and traumatic events that police work entails can negatively affect our value and mind-set, even when not at work.
Module 3 offers mindfulness techniques that can help counter the negative effects that exposure to psychological trauma can bring. It also offers lifestyle advice that can mitigate mental injury and promote recovery.
Police College and OHW currently working on family package so that families and friends of officers can be educated on trauma risk in policing, signs and symptoms of mental health being impacted and how to prevent, support and signpost.
Suicide Awareness lesson is covered early on the student officer programme. It is a PHA accredited course in suicide awareness provided by zero suicide alliance, which helps officers discuss and have confidence in dealing with people who are suicidal.
ACES/Trauma informed practice is another lesson early in the programme and it focuses on adverse childhood experiences, how they impact on individuals and how our response can be more trauma informed.
A Neurodiversity lesson is early during the course. It increases awareness of neurodiversity in our own organisation and amongst the public and helps officers to be considerate of this and reduce potential trauma.
Mental Health lesson covers how we response to people in crisis but it also touches on wellbeing and trauma towards the start of the lesson.
Personal and team effectiveness. This is completed near the end of the student programme. It normally leads to discussions about anxieties that some people hold about moving into a new team and what it will be like as a probationary officer. This helps to prepare them for the move in to their local areas.
Applied Suicide Intervention and Skills training (ASIST) is a worldwide recognised course in suicide intervention. Delivered at the end of student programme and assists with supporting colleagues and members of the public.
At induction and intake the student officers are spoken to by staff reference the challenges of a career in policing and they are encouraged to speak to staff if they have any concerns. They are also made aware of all the services provided by OHW and can access the service Wellbeing page.
Across Organisation
Lessons in tactical training cover topics such as acute behavioural disorder, vulnerability and dealing with people in emotional distress. Other training areas will cover aspects of this too but we would require more time to co-ordinate across departments and collate this information.
Other departments across the Organisation may also provide or arrange for localised inputs to their teams, particularly in certain roles but again this would require more time to co-ordinate across departments and collate this information.
The Organisation also provides online psychological and wellbeing modules for all staff and officers, has trained staff and officers in trauma informed practice techniques and peer support wellbeing volunteers.
Nuala McAllister - Alliance