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DECISION RECORD

Decision ID: PCCML 000460 2019

Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth, Southampton

Decision title

Trauma exposure, psychological health, personal resilience and productivity in Hampshire Constabulary

Executive summary

The Police and Crime Commissioner’s vision of ‘Safer’ is reliant on Hampshire Constabulary having a healthy, productive and motivated workforce. A psychologically healthier and more resilient workforce will bring operational and service delivery benefits by enabling more officers and staff to remain fit for all aspects of their role and deliver the best possible service to the public.

This proposal is integral to the Police and Crime Plan and Chief Constable’s Six Areas of Focus in respect of ‘Looking After our People’. It is based on the work delivered through the Strategic Health & Safety, Security and Wellbeing board which is aligned to the National Police Wellbeing Service (NPWS) led by Chief Constable Andy Rhodes, and the Policing Minister’s work on the Front Line review.

The nature of operational police work entails a particularly potent combination of risk factors in relation to exposure to trauma, psychological health and personal resilience. Officers and staff are under pressure, not only from high profile incidents but from a physically and emotionally demanding environment and the changing nature of day to day policing demands. Police personnel are twice as likely to identify issues at work as the main cause of their psychological problems when compared with the general population (Mind 2016).

This investment supports operational policing and will deliver the following outcomes to improve the wellbeing of officers and staff:

Improving psychological fitness for role

o Expansion of existing programme that determines psychological fitness forrole, enabling advice and support to be given to affected officers and staff atan early stage and facilitating recovery through access to clinicalpsychological services, assessments and therapies.

More Effective Management of Exposure to Trauma

o Expansion of the role of Mental Health Peer Supporters (MHPS) toincorporate specialist knowledge and support in relation to slow burn trauma,to better support the workforce with this emerging issue and keep thempsychologically fit for their roles.

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Suicide Prevention

o A co-ordinated approach involving data collection, training and a communications plan to mitigate risk through suicide prevention activity.

Enhancing Occupational Health Response

o Investment to meet anticipated uplift in demand (resulting from implementation of this Wellbeing Programme) and to reduce and sustain the wait time for an Occupational Health appointment to 5 days, enabling more timely availability of Occupational Health services.

More Effective Management of Long Term Absence and Complex Cases

o To scope how best to deliver a welfare service in a way that is bespoke for policing and that increases reach across the force.

Improving Access to Musculoskeletal (MSK) Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Services

o Expansion of existing services for cases of physical injury or conditions that impact on an individual’s ability to carry out their duties, additional investment is required to meet demand for the service and return more officers and staff to duty more quickly.

Expanding the Outreach Health Screening Service

o Expansion of the NPWS funded outreach health screening service, in order to offer a Hampshire based outreach service that can offer screening to the entire workforce, enabling identifiable health risks to be treated or prevented.

This proposal seeks the Police and Crime Commissioner’s approval of the release of funds already earmarked within the current and agreed 2019-20 budget for policing to the value of £761k, no additional funding over and above the agreed budget is required. Funding of the subsequent two years of the three-year programme will be incorporated into future years’ budgets.

This investment in a holistic programme of reactive and preventative support and services is expected to yield a net financial benefit of £2.7m over a 3 year period to 2022. The average yearly investment required to achieve this financial benefit represents less than 0.2% of the force’s total budget.

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Recommendation

That the Police and Crime Commissioner approves the release of earmarked funds to the value of £761k for 2019-20 to enable Hampshire Constabulary to deliver a comprehensive programme of reactive and preventative support and services to enhance officer and staff wellbeing and operational resilience.

Police and Crime Commissioner approval

I hereby approve the recommendation above.

Comments on the decision taken:

I am delighted that this important work has come to fruition. I am determined that we make progress at pace and therefore approve this enabling £761k. I know this investment will support our frontline, keeping them SAFER as they keep our communities safer.

Signature:

Name: Michael Lane Police and Crime Commissioner – Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth, Southampton

Date: 20-Feb-19

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v10.0 dated 18-Feb-19 Page 1

Decision Window: Not applicable

Document version history:

Version Number

Version date Requester of change Summary of change(s)

v1.0-9.0 Not available Not applicable Not applicable

v10.0 18-Feb-19 OPCC Programme Office Changes to content and format.

Decision title: Trauma exposure, psychological health and personal resilience in Hampshire Constabulary

Requester details:

Requester: Sara Glen

Role title: Deputy Chief Constable

1 Summary

1. This decision notice is integral to the Police and Crime Plan and Chief Constable’s Six Areas of Focus in respect of ‘Looking After our People’. It is based on the work delivered through the DCC’s Strategic Health & Safety, Security and Wellbeing board which is aligned to the National Police Wellbeing Service (NPWS) led by Chief Constable Andy Rhodes, and the Policing Minister’s work on the Front Line review.

2. The nature of operational police work entails a particularly potent combination of risk factors in relation to exposure to trauma, psychological health and personal resilience. Officers and staff are under pressure, not only from high profile incidents but from a physically and emotionally demanding environment and the changing nature of day to day policing demands. Police personnel are twice as likely to identify issues at work as the main cause of their psychological problems when compared with the general population (Mind 2016).

3. These factors are bringing an increasing human cost to the police workforce, and an economic and operational impact on the force as officers and staff struggle to remain mentally and physically fit for their roles. Ultimately this has a negative impact on the service that the pubic receives and the PCC mission to keep us ‘Safer’.

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4. In the 3 years to September 2018 the cost of absence to the force was in excess of £18.5m. This figure is based on the salary cost of lost duty days and does not take into account other factors such as productivity, retention, management time, workloads, overtime costs, recruitment costs, and legal claims all of which are negatively impacted by sickness absence. Over 3 years the cost of absence has increased by 33% and is on a continuing upward trend. The spend on ill health retirement has been in excess of £2m in each of the last 3 years (Annexe 2) and an amount of £2m has been factored in to budgets in 2019/20 to reflect this continuing trend. It is therefore reasonable to predict that costs relating to poor health could exceed £25m over the next 3 years.

5. These increases are in the context of the force already investing over £1.1m per annum in Occupational Health and Wellbeing services, and that in 2017/18 additional budget circa £220k per annum was committed to enable delivery of the right services for the force. These services are largely reactive and designed to deal with the consequences of poor health and exposure to trauma rather than focussing on preventative services and support that would improve the overall health and wellbeing of the workforce and thus improve productivity and service delivery. A breakdown of spend over the last 3 years is provided as Annexe 2.

6. Around 30% of sickness absence in the force is known to relate to mental health, and over 40% of calls for help to the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) relate to trauma exposure and mental health. Long term sickness accounts for 59% of the cost of absence, and 24% of the cost of absence can be attributed specifically to mental health related long term sickness. Demand for Occupational Health and EAP services has increased and on current trajectories this trend is expected to continue. Further details of absence and EAP data are available in the quarterly dashboard provided as Annexe 3.

7. The risk of poor health in the policing workforce is increasing due to year on year increased demand, reduced officer and staff numbers, an ageing workforce, and changes to pension regulations that bring an expectation for officers to work beyond 30 years and thus be exposed to trauma for a longer period of time. To manage demand the force has put in place a high harm screening threshold using a matrix based on threat, harm and risk (THOR) which means that every incident dealt with carries higher risk of exposure to trauma for the individuals who attend. The reduction in officer and staff numbers means there are fewer people to share the work and the significant reduction in non frontline roles means that there is limited ability to draw officers away from the frontline into a less demanding role. The net result of these factors is an increase in exposure to trauma at an individual level for a longer and more sustained period.

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8. The force has recruited 312 officers in the three years since 2016/17 and has plans to bring in 210 new officers in 2019/20. These cohorts face all the challenges described above from the outset of their service with very little opportunity for respite due to increasing demand on policing. New officers represent a significant investment for the force in respect of the cost of recruitment, uniform, equipment and initial and ongoing training before they are fully operational and deployable. If that investment is not protected by effectively managing the impact of trauma exposure and building their personal resilience then a likely consequence is higher attrition which will result in little or no return on investment for the force and an increase in the costs outlined above. Although new officers are highlighted as a cohort that may realise particular benefits from this proposal the increased provision it will bring would be available universally to our officers and staff.

9. The proposals outlined in this decision request are a strategic response to a current and emerging issue which if left unchecked could have a significant impact on force budgets and service delivery. It is recognised that there are unknowns in relation to the issues outlined above, the future demands on policing and the exact impact that trauma exposure will have on our people. It is also recognised that in future there could be a stronger evidence base for action than currently exists. To do nothing and ‘wait and see’ is a high risk strategy for service delivery, budgets and our people. We have support from the South East regional wellbeing forum in respect of our plans and they wish to learn from what we do. This proposal also directly aligns with strategy being developed nationally through the NPWS, and through these forums there will be opportunities to explore how enhanced provision for trauma exposure, psychological health and personal resilience can be scaled up regionally and nationally.

10. If the proposals outlined in this decision request are implemented then Hampshire Constabulary would be a trailblazer for a wellbeing programme on this scale. The proposals present an opportunity to mitigate risk and increasing costs, future proof for the next 5-10 years and enable the force to not only meets its corporate responsibilities in respect of Health & Safety but also to enhance its position as an employer of choice by sending a powerful message that the force looks after its people. The proposal also offers the opportunity to uplift productivity and effectiveness and ultimately improve service delivery.

11. The forces aim is to keep officers and staff at work and fully fit for their role by building their personal resilience so they are less likely to have health and motivation issues. For those who are absent from work the aim is to return them at the earliest opportunity to reduce the operational impact and cost of sickness absence, particularly long term absence. A healthy and resilient workforce will have a positive effect on the cost and impact of ill health

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retirements and duty restrictions as well as those associated with increased turnover and poor productivity.

12. To achieve these aims the force has identified a range of initiatives to support the current reactive service provision and focus on providing and improving services for trauma exposure, psychological health and fitness for role in a way that will build personal resilience in officers and staff, equip them for their roles both now and in the future, and protect the investment of new officers. Taking this approach can provide a more effective service to the public with the same resources by making the workforce more productive, motivated, and able to make better decisions, maximising the number of effective officers and staff available to meet demand.

13. The key elements these initiatives are looking to deliver are to directly mitigate the rising cost of ill health retirements and sickness absence. The initiatives can mitigate the current trend of increasing duty restrictions and recuperative duties and deliver savings through reduced costs relating to overtime, recruitment, and legal claims. A further benefit of improved health in the workforce would be efficiency savings relating to an uplift in productivity and a reduction in management time to deal with the consequences of poor health. These will be achieved by ensuring not just an effective reactive service from Occupational Health but also a preventative service delivery that is cognisant of increased levels of exposure to trauma in policing as outlined above.

14. Research by PriceWaterhouseCoopers (2008) into wellness programmes has found that investment in such programmes translates to financial benefits. In their research benefit-cost ratios measuring the financial return for every unit of cost were found to range from 2.3 up to 10.1 i.e. at the upper end more than £10 return for every £1 spent. Some individual case studies highlighted an even higher return. The research found that ‘Typically, holistic wellness programmes can be expected to show a positive financial return over a period of 2 to 3 years. However, very targeted interventions may show a pay-back period (PBP) in a shorter period of time’ (PriceWaterhouseCoopers, 2008)

15. In summer 2018 the force participated in Global Challenge (GC) which encouraged healthy habits in relation to physical activity levels, sleep, nutrition, emotional balance, hydration and nutrition. Participants reported a 10% uplift in productivity, improved concentration and reduced stress despite GC taking place during the most demanding summer ever experienced by the force. This evidences the powerful positive impact that a wellness programme can have on mind set and discretionary effort which ultimately translate into improved outcomes for the public.

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16. For the force, a conservative estimate of benefit-cost ratio of 2.5 would yield financial benefit in excess of £4.5m by 2022 if the proposed investment is made. Net benefit after investment would be £2.7m achieved through reduction in direct costs such as ill health retirement, overtime and sickness, and efficiency savings due to improved productivity and discretionary effort. This benefit will be measurable through metrics such as victim satisfaction and solved crime, direct costs as outlined above, sickness, EAP and Occupational Health data, retention rates, and the number of accidents, injuries and legal claims. Many of these metrics are already tracked and scrutinised through force performance profiles which presents an opportunity for benchmarking and triangulation to be undertaken as part of the programme evaluation. Resource to support this analysis will be allocated from the force’s Intelligence, Tasking and Development (ITD) Command and this will enable measurement of the direct and indirect financial benefits of the investment outlined in this decision request.

17. Delivery of these projected returns is reliant on investment of £761k in year 1 and £563k in year 2 and 3 for a holistic programme of reactive and preventative services and support as outlined below. This investment represents less than 0.2% of the forces total budget over a 3 year period. A holistic programme will encourage a proactive and early intervention approach, and deal effectively with issues such as trauma exposure and managing psychological risk. The investment will also deal with the anticipated uplift in demand for Occupational Health and Wellbeing services as a result of individuals becoming more self aware of health issues and needing support to resolve these.

18. Investing in the approach set out in this decision request will provide a more effective service to the public with the same resources by making the workforce more productive, motivated, and able to make better decisions. Investment will result in financial benefit as well as maximising the number of effective officers and staff available to meet the demands of the ‘Safer’ mission set out by the Police and Crime Commissioner.

19. Improving Psychological Fitness for Role: A programme to determine psychological fitness for role is already in place for roles in force where an individual is deemed to be at greatest risk of exposure to high level impactive trauma. This request seeks to increase the number of officers and staff protected by this programme by widening the scope of eligible roles. The programme monitors individuals on a year on year basis and provides an early indicator of any issues that may have arisen through exposure to harm. It enables advice and support to be given to affected officers and staff at an early stage and facilitates recovery through access to clinical psychological services, assessments and therapies. Officers and staff exposed to trauma are more likely to become dependent on alcohol, have marital problems, experience stress and be at risk of suicide than many other occupational

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groups, and this programme mitigates these risks which could be caused or exacerbated by their work. The screening can pick up slow burn trauma caused by continual exposure as well as that caused by a single incident.

20. An updated risk assessment has identified a wider range of roles carrying trauma risk than are currently covered by the programme. An expansion of the programme has been recommended so that a preventative approach can be taken with a broader section of the workforce to protect against longer term psychological damage. In addition several forces are now seeing the workforce take civil action against employers for not providing effective psychological screening and therapy services when they have been exposed to high trauma events and suffered PTSD as a result. Investment is required to implement this expansion and enable the force to fully meet its statutory obligations in respect of health and safety and give early warning so that psychological health issues can be managed rather than becoming longer term complex cases, with significant harm to the individual and their family.

21. The impact of the expanded programme can be measured against a current benchmark (see Annexe 3):

Percentage of absence relating to mental health (anxiety/stress and depression)

Percentage of calls to the EAP relating to mental health

Percentage and number of OH referrals relating to work and personal mental health

Percentage and number of those in the psychological screening programme declared fit at initial screen

Percentage and number of those in the psychological screening programme requiring professional psychological services i.e. psychological assessment or trauma therapy

22. More Effective Management of Exposure to Trauma: To help manage the impact of exposure to trauma the force operates a trauma incident management scheme (TRIM) which supports officers and staff post incident. The scheme is peer led and those who provide support do so on a voluntary basis in addition to their substantive role. Training and continuing professional development (CPD) and supervision debriefs (similar to clinical supervision in social services) is a requirement for all assessors, and the support they offer is intended to mainly deal with single incident trauma. In addition to TRIM the force has a number of Mental Health Peer Supporters (MHPS) who are trained to recognise when colleagues are struggling with their psychological health and offer support and signposting. As with TRIM,

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all MHPS are volunteers and required to undertake training CPD and activities akin to clinical supervision.

23. Slow burn trauma caused by the ‘drip drip’ effect of continued exposure is recognised as being of increasing significance in respect of its impact on psychological health. An opportunity exists to expand the role of MHPS to incorporate specialist knowledge and support in relation to slow burn trauma to better support the workforce with this emerging issue and keep them psychologically fit for their roles.

24. Management information on the number of TRIM referrals shows that these are relatively low (see Annexe 3). Management information regarding use of MHPS is not currently collated and this needs to be developed. Communication and awareness of both schemes could be improved, and for the schemes to run effectively they need to operate within a structured framework that supports training, co-ordination, communication, CPD and clinical supervision, and investment is required to achieve this. The impact of this investment can be measured against a current benchmark (see Annexe 3):

Number of TRIM referrals per quarter

Number and percentage of calls to the EAP relating to mental health

Percentage of absence relating to mental health (anxiety/stress and depression)

Number and percentage of OH referrals relating to work and personal mental health

25. Suicide Prevention: Policing has been identified as having high suicide risk factors including stress, incident trauma, shift work, relationship problems and alcohol abuse. There is a need for the force to mitigate this risk through suicide prevention activity to understand more about the reasons for suicide, raise awareness of this subject, and provide support for officers and staff who reach crisis point. Investment in a co-ordinated approach involving data collection, training and a communications plan will address this need, and as well as benefitting the internal workforce it will have a positive impact on service delivery to the public through a better understanding of the subject matter which will aid prevention in the wider community.

26. Enhancing Occupational Health Response: When officers and staff are not currently fit for role or are absent from the workplace then timely Occupational Health (OH) services are critical in returning them to duty at the earliest opportunity. There are operational benefits to having a short turnaround time for OH appointments as this enables early onward referral to

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services that can facilitate recovery e.g. psychological support, physiotherapy and welfare services. In addition, managers will receive recommendations and guidance sooner and this will support an earlier return to duty. When there are delays in OH appointments this can compound psychological issues relating to isolation from the workplace or colleagues and contribute to a longer recovery period.

27. Investment and efficiencies in working practices in OH have already achieved an appointment waiting time of less than 10 working days. It is anticipated that the proposals outlined in this paper will cause an initial spike in demand for OH and wellbeing services as a result of individuals becoming aware of their own poor health and requiring support to improve. Investment is required both to cater for this uplift in demand and to achieve and sustain a 5 day wait time so that that the operational benefits of a short turnaround can be realised. The impact of this investment can be measured against a current benchmark (see Annexe 3):

Average wait time for appointment

Number of Occupational Health referrals

Ratio of live cases to organisational headcount

Ratio of did not attend (DNA) appointment

28. More Effective Management of Long Term Absence and Complex Cases: A recent evaluation of a pilot welfare service (Police Medical Welfare Service) in force has provided evidence of the benefits in having this type of support available to individuals and managers in long term absence and complex cases. The funding for the pilot was provided through NPWS and has now ceased. In the evaluation the service users reported a statistically significant positive impact on their wellbeing and recovery when they engaged with the service. The evaluation also identified that the pilot covered a gap in welfare provision that was not currently available as part of the force’s wellbeing services. There was some criticism of the service being based on a military model rather than being bespoke to policing, and the evaluation considered the cost of the service to be expensive.

29. As there is now an evidence base that shows the value of a welfare service in supporting a return to duty the force proposes to scope how best to deliver this provision in a way that is bespoke for policing and able to increase reach across the force rather than continuing with the pilot model. This would enable more people to benefit from the more intensive support that a welfare service can offer and return them to duty at an earlier opportunity. In relation to cases involving life changing injuries e.g. loss of a limb it is proposed that the force continues working with a specialist provider on a case by case

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basis in order to take advantage of expertise gained through working with the military. To implement this provision will require investment for suitable services to be procured and/or provided through additional in house services.

30. The impact of a welfare service can be measured against a current benchmark (see Annexe 3 and Annexe 4):

Percentage working time lost to long term sickness (LTS)

Percentage working time lost to short term sickness

Numbers of LTS cases

Duration of LTS cases

Number of staff hitting 12 days trigger

31. Improving Access to Musculoskeletal (MSK) Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Services: Where there is a physical injury or condition that impacts on an individual’s ability to carry out their duties then a return to fitness can be achieved more quickly by providing access to musculoskeletal (MSK) rehabilitation and physiotherapy services. This approach reduces the risk of an individual needing a more severe corrective experience which would require a longer period of absence or restriction from duty and thus minimises the operational impact. A further benefit of this service is its use of a biopsychosocial model which incorporates mental health advice and support for those who may be experiencing psychological health issues as a result of their injury.

32. The MSK rehabilitation and physiotherapy service is already in place with limited funding and additional investment is required to meet demand for the service and return more officers and staff to duty more quickly. The impact of this additional investment can be measured against a current benchmark (see Annexe 3):

Percentage time lost to MSK absence

Number of physiotherapy referrals

Number of OH referral outcomes relating to adjusted and recuperative duties

33. Expanding the Outreach Health Screening Service: The NPWS has identified a need to screen police personnel to highlight individual wellbeing risks. Health screening encourages a proactive self-care approach to personal resilience and enables identifiable health risks to be treated or

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prevented. It also brings an opportunity for advice and support to be given at the point of assessment. Physical wellbeing has a direct evidence based link to psychological and emotional health and resilience and screening also gives an opportunity for mental health questionnaires to be used to pick up early signs of stress, anxiety and other psychological issues. To support this need NPWS is funding an outreach health screening service which will be rolled out in 2019. However, each force will have very limited access to this service (2-3 weeks per year) and its reach will therefore be very narrow for Hampshire in terms of overall workforce numbers.

34. To fully realise the benefits of health screening there needs to be investment in a Hampshire based outreach service that can offer screening to the entire workforce within a 12-24 month period and plan for checks to be conducted on a two year basis. The impact of this service can be measured against a current benchmark (see Annexe 3):

Cost of absence

Number of individuals hitting a trigger of 4 occasions

Average duty days lost per full time equivalent (FTE) officer

Average duty days lost per FTE staff

Number of individuals referred onwards to GP and specialist NHS services as a result of health screening

At the current time there is very limited health screening data against which to benchmark the impact of this investment because this is not a service that has been offered before. This should improve when the NPWS service is deployed in Hampshire for 2 weeks in February 2019.

35. A unique characteristic of prevention and early intervention activities is that they seek to avert a problem before it starts. This makes a conventional evaluation unsuitable, as this cannot measure what has been prevented. In addition, accepted metrics such as levels of sickness absence, numbers engaging with services, and reasons for sickness are one dimensional and will not give the insight necessary to understand the full return on investment for this programme, especially in relation to productivity and discretionary effort.

36. To address this the force will work with its academic partners to identify the most suitable way to evaluate the success and impact of the interventions outlined in this paper in terms of how they have delivered against the strategic aims of this proposal and brought about the changes in behaviour

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necessary to reduce risk factors relating to personal resilience, trauma and psychological health.

37. It is proposed that evaluation criteria and measures of success are agreed for each element of the programme as soon as possible after funding is agreed. An interim evaluation would be carried out during Q1 and Q2 of 2020/21 to enable a review of progress to date and make recommendations about any adjustment to plans and services. The final evaluation would then be carried out in Q3 and Q4 of 2021/22 when the additional services and provision have been in place for at least a 12 month period. In addition, those officers and staff who are being supported to undertake academic study will be encouraged to concentrate on research topics relating to wellbeing and personal resilience to provide further insight and the opportunity for a different lens on the impact of this programme.

Governance for the programme will be through the force’s quarterly Strategic Health & Safety, Security and Wellbeing board who will oversee delivery and timelines for each aspect of the proposal. Reports on the progress of the programme will be submitted to this board which a representative from the OPCC attends. Board papers can be shared with other members of OPCC as required.

2 Recommendation

2.1 It is recommended that funding for a 3 year holistic wellbeing programme as outlined in this decision paper is agreed to support delivery of Hampshire Constabulary’s wellbeing strategy and workforce resilience plan and achieve estimated net financial benefit in the region of £2.7m by 2022.

2.2 It is recommended that funding of £761k for 2019/20 is allocated from reserves. A contribution of £624k is made to reserves earmarked for this purpose as part of the 2019/20 budget setting process.

2.3 It is recommended that funding of £563k per annum for 2020/21 and 2021/22 is built in to the medium term financial strategy.

3 Strategic context

Delivery of the Police and Crime Plan vision of ‘Safer’ is reliant on the force having a healthy, productive and motivated workforce. This is directly recognised in the Plan through a delivery strategy relating to people which outlines that ‘…wellbeing …is recognised as fundamental to delivery both internal and outside of the organisation. It allows the team to function at its best, enabling the achievement of full potential in the workplace, thereby increasing satisfaction and fulfilment whilst being successful in delivering the vision of the Police and Crime Plan’. A psychologically healthier and more resilient workforce will bring operational and service delivery benefits by

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enabling more officers and staff to remain fit for all aspects of their role and deliver the best possible service to the public.

This decision notice is integral to the Police and Crime Plan and Chief Constable’s Six Areas of Focus in respect of ‘Looking After our People’. It is based on the work delivered through the DCC’s Strategic Health & Safety, Security and Wellbeing board which is aligned to the National Police Wellbeing Service (NPWS) led by Chief Constable Andy Rhodes, and the Policing Minister’s work on the Front Line review.

In July 2018 the Home Office launched a common goal for police wellbeing to be achieved by 2021. This sets out a shared strategic intent in relation to welfare and wellbeing and asks forces to focus plans on prevention and early intervention as well as having effective support and signposting services.

4 Options appraisal

4.1 The options are either to invest in a holistic approach based on early intervention and prevention work alongside rapid reactive services that will build resilience and equip officers and staff to deliver currently and for the future, knowing that they will be exposed to more trauma incidents (due to THOR thresholds and a smaller workforce) over a longer period of time (due to pensions and retirement point extended beyond 30 years’ service), or to do no further investment and fail to match the current demand in occupational health services and ill health retirement.

4.2 The case for investment to support trauma exposure, psychological health and personal resilience is set out above and is the recommended option.

4.3 If the option of no further investment is pursued it is likely that the impact of continued exposure to trauma and the increasing demands of policing will continue to have an adverse impact on resilience and psychological health. The number of officers and staff who become and remain unfit for their role will increase and service to the public will suffer as a result, particularly at this time of increasing demand and a reduced workforce where the contribution of every member of the force is more critical than it has ever been. There will be higher risk of civil claims through not meeting our duty of care, the cost of absence and ill health retirement will increase, and the associated impacts will not be mitigated. There is a need for a different approach and to do more than has been done before to build and maintain resilience. Doing nothing requires no investment but brings a very high risk to our workforce and future service delivery to the public and is not recommended.

5 Timescales

Timescales for delivery are outlined in Annexe 1.

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The current welfare service is funded until 31st March 2019 (Police Medical Welfare Service) and this type of provision will cease from this date unless budget is allocated to scope and implement an alternative service.

6 Financial and resourcing implications

The financial commitment relating to this decision is set out below. Year 1 (2019/20) includes set up and implementation costs and ongoing funding is required into the following financial years to enable services to continue. The resources required are a combination of service providers, staffing and equipment as described above and a more detailed breakdown is provided as Annexe 1. The decision cannot be implemented unless the funding outlined below is committed. Existing resources and budget are insufficient to deliver the outcomes described in this request and are already fully committed to continuation of services which are needed to maintain the current state of resilience and psychological health in the workforce.

Total cost £1,886,508

Timeframe funding required for April 2019 to March 2022

Funding allocation in each financial year

2019-20 2020-21 2021-22

Capital £50,000 £0 £0

Revenue £711,348 £562,580 £562,580

7 Communications and engagement implications

Communications relating to this decision will be agreed and prepared in conjunction with the OPCC.

8 Legal implications

There are no known legal issues relating to this request. Any legal matters which arise within individual workstreams will be managed to ensure compliance with all known obligations under current legislation and case law.

9 Risks and mitigation

The risk of failure to deliver the Safer strategy due to an overstretched service unless additional funding is secured is a current risk within the Hampshire Constabulary Risk Register.

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There is a risk that if this request is not supported that sickness absence will increase alongside ill health retirements and levels of personal resilience and effectiveness will decrease. These issues will result in increased costs and higher risk of civil litigation as well a reduction of service delivery to the public

In addition there is a further risk that the strategy relating to our people set out within the Police and Crime Plan (allowing the workforce team to function at its best) will not be fully delivered.

There is also a risk that the organisation will not achieve the Home Office police service strategic intent in relation to welfare and wellbeing.

Investment in the activities detailed within this request will mitigate these risks, and provide an opportunity for financial benefit in the region of £2.7m in the period to 2022.

A risk associated with implementation of this programme is that there will be a spike in demand for Occupational Health and Wellbeing services due to individuals becoming more self aware of their poor health and requiring support to improve. This risk is already mitigated through additional resources as outlined in this decision request.

10 Strategic policing requirement

There are no known implications for delivery of regional or national policing requirements if the request is agreed.

11 Equalities

There are no known equality issues relating to this request. The need for an equality impact assessment will be assessed and dealt with as appropriate within each workstream.

12 Data Protection implications

There are no known data protection implications relating to this request. Data protection matters may arise within the scope of individual workstreams and where this occurs they will be dealt with in accordance with the relevant legislation and policies.

13 Publication status

This report is suitable for publication.

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14 Personnel consulted

The following personnel were consulted on the Decision Request.

Role Organisation Confirmation of consultation

(insert ‘Yes’ if applicable)

Chief Executive OPCC Yes

Assistant PCC (Criminal Justice) OPCC Yes

Chief Finance Officer OPCC (HCC) Yes

Head of Strategic Commissioning and Partnerships OPCC Yes

Head of Communication and Engagement OPCC Yes

Head of Performance and Information OPCC Yes

Head of Public Affairs OPCC Yes

Acting Head of Governance and Policy OPCC Yes

Estate Director OPCC Yes

Programme Office Lead OPCC Yes

Finance Advisor OPCC (HCC) Yes

Deputy Monitoring Officer OPCC (HCC) Yes

Head of Strategic Procurement HCC Yes

Commissioning and Partnerships Officer OPCC Yes

15 Annexes

Annexe 1 Breakdown of timelines, costings and service details.

Annexe 2 Breakdown of Hampshire Constabulary spend on ill health retirement and Occupational Health and Wellbeing services.

Annexe 3 Quarterly dashboard as at 31.12.2018.

Annexe 4 Long term sickness cases.

16 Background papers

A common goal for police wellbeing- Home Office; published July 2018

References:

PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS. (2008) Building the case for wellness [online]. London: PricewaterhouseCoopers. Available at: https:// www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/ attachment_data/file/209547/hwwb-dwp-wellness-report-public.pdf [Accessed 16 January 2019].

decision record - hampshire-pcc.gov.uk · andy rhodes, and the policing minister’s work on the...

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