“Officers are exposed to trauma on a daily basis, but it’s not until the mental health first aid training that they really start to understand how that trauma might impact them.”
Northumbria Police Federation has been running mental health first aid courses for more than six years. Completing two days of training provides officers and staff with a recognised accreditation, but most importantly, the ability to support peers with their wellbeing.
To help mark this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week (May 12-18), Anthony (Anth) Pattison, the branch’s equality and health management lead, who leads the courses, explains how beneficial they are to members.
“In Northumbria, mental health took over as the number one reason for police officers being off sick. It’s clear that police officers are suffering – and the reality is, we need to sit up and pay attention to the issues impacting cops,” said Anth, a police sergeant who has been in the job for 20 years.
Alongside his role as a full-time Fed rep, Anth qualified as a psychotherapist two years ago, driven by the services offered to members by the branch.
“We’d started providing services shaped around mental health for cops who were struggling with their wellbeing. I could see members at breaking point, going to see a psychotherapist and coming out, admitting the service had ‘changed their life’. That service was getting members back to work,” explained Anth.
He added: “Seeing the success of such services – that sparked an interest for me and I was drawn to the idea of qualifying myself.”
Mental health
In addition, Anth had taken on the role as one of the Force’s first mental health liaison officers.
Working from Northumbria’s St. George’s Park, a purpose-built mental health hospital, supporting members of the community, Anth says ‘opened up a whole world’ for him.
“That experience for me was life-changing. I developed a real passion for helping people with their mental health. Naturally, that ignited my interest in improving the welfare and wellbeing of officers,” said Anth, who admits he jumped at the opportunity when the full-time wellbeing post came up within the Federation.
As part of his role, Anth regularly leads mental health first aid courses within the Force and, to date, has helped train hundreds of people.
The training allows people to support their colleagues, with intervention and prevention major components within the content.
Positive impact
“Without a doubt, the training is having a positive impact within the Force, specifically amongst the managers and middle managers who can better support their team and discuss the support available,” said Anth.
“When we first started the course, I was fishing around for cops to take part, but now, I have officers – of all ranks – asking for more information on the training.
“It’s a real proactive partnership between the Federation and Force – we even see occupational health sending people our way, which is fantastic.
“The fact is, the culture of policing is changing – in fact, the world is changing – and we need to respond accordingly. And ultimately, this training is helping to keep officers in the job, rather than being off sick.”
Once a person has completed the course, they are added to a list of ‘mental health first aiders’ that officers can contact if necessary.
If you would like more information on becoming mental health first aid trained or feel you need support with your wellbeing, please contact Anth: apattison@npf.polfed.org
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