We know you and your colleagues are facing additional pressures as you respond to the pandemic. Prioritising mental health in your service has never been more important.
We're currently developing new information, training and resources in response to the pandemic. These will help you support your colleagues now and in the future, and improve mental health in the emergency services.
On this page you'll find a range of information and resources to support the mental health of your people.
Credit: London Fire Brigade
The mental health of the emergency service workforce has never been more important. That’s why Mind and The Royal Foundation have teamed up with the Emergency Responders Senior Leaders Board. Together, we're helping to unite the emergency services community in supporting the mental health of the workforce.
To deliver this ambition, senior leaders representing the national bodies across the UK emergency services have signed the Mental Health at Work Commitment. This is an unprecedented agreement, declaring that mental health is, and will remain, a strategic priority for all UK emergency services. This means that for the first time, a uniform set of standards for supporting the mental health of emergency responder staff will be adopted and integrated into workplaces.
Mind has developed three resources to help emergency services put the Commitment into action:
The guides, along with more information about this exciting new movement, can be found on the Blue Light Together website.
Our expertise in delivering mental health support for emergency services has shaped the Blue Light Programme Blueprint Pack. This step-by-step guide has all the information employers need to set up and deliver mental health support in your service. Please note that the resources below are from our 2015 to 2019 programme, but you may still find them helpful.
The Time to Change Employer Pledge was a commitment to changing the way we all think and act about mental health in the workplace. The pledge was backed by an action plan, detailing the tangible activity to be delivered in pledged services.
During the Blue Light Programme, over 100 blue light services and associations signed or re-signed the pledge. Read about what other services have done to raise awareness.
The employer pledge was retired in June 2020 but its legacy continues through Time to Change information and resources, Time to Talk Day and the Mental Health at Work Commitment. Read more about the Commitment in the previous section.
Every employer depends on having healthy and productive employees. This is especially important in the emergency services, where workers frequently encounter traumatic situations.
Our Workplace Wellbeing Index is a benchmark of best policy and practice. It will help you find out where you are doing well and where you could improve your approach to mental health in the workplace.
Our training courses are developed to meet the specific needs of the emergency services workforce. They help you to manage your own and others' wellbeing at work, build resilience, and support colleagues after traumatic incidents.
Our existing courses are currently paused due to the pandemic. In response, we're currently developing new training. Find out more below.
Our webinars cover a wide range of topics.
Kent Police were the first emergency service to sign the Time to Change pledge in 2012. Read about how they supported staff by establishing a network.