Supporting the mental health of your staff and volunteers in the emergency services
Working or volunteering in the emergency services can take a lot out of staff, whatever their role. Irregular hours, exposure to traumatic incidents, and day-to-day pressures like struggling with the cost of living can all contribute to poor mental health.
Senior leaders, managers, and HR and Wellbeing Leads can all play a key role in supporting the mental health of staff. The Mental Health at Work Commitment provides a framework for the emergency services to create a culture where people feel safe to seek support and where practising good wellbeing is an innate part of staff’s everyday working lives.
Getting started
- Develop a well-being action plan
Everyone’s experiences of mental health can be different. Encourage each staff member to fill out a wellness action plan to help you understand and recognise when they might need support.
- Make sure they know where to get support
Make sure all staff know what mental health support is available to them. Ensure that this information is easily accessible, whether on your intranet or through other internal channels. Visit the Ambulance Staff Charity, Police Care UK, and The Fire Fighters Charity for more information about mental health support available to emergency responders. If you’re based in Scotland, you can get support from Lifelines Scotland.
- Ask the staff what they need from you
As part of the Mental Health at Work Commitment, you should be running regular consultations and forums with staff to get insights about how you can better support them. Send out a questionnaire or hold a session with staff forums to help you understand their day-to-day struggles and what types of support they need from you.
Resources in this toolkit:
Blue Light Together
Blue Light Together is the place for UK emergency services staff, volunteers and friends and family to find information, ideas and support to help look after your mental health.
Guiding Principles for Emergency Response Volunteer Wellbeing
It isn't just your paid staff who might need support with their mental wellbeing, but those donating their time and effort too. UKSAR have created a guide which explores how the Commitment standards can be better applied to volunteers.
Coping with what you’ve experienced during coronavirus: ambulance
This guide from Mind is designed help you make sense of the things you’ve seen and experienced in the ambulance service during coronavirus.
Coping with what you’ve experienced during coronavirus: search and rescue
This guide from Mind is designed help you make sense of the things you’ve seen and experienced as a search and rescue responder during coronavirus.
Coping with what you’ve experienced during coronavirus: fire and rescue
This guide from Mind is designed help you make sense of the things you’ve seen and experienced as an emergency responder in the fire and rescue service during coronavirus.
Coping with what you’ve experienced during coronavirus: police
This guide from Mind is designed help you make sense of the things you’ve seen and experienced working in the police service during coronavirus.
