Emergency services staff and volunteers are more likely to experience a mental health problem than the general population, but less likely to seek support. Almost nine out of 10 have experienced stress and poor mental health while working for blue light services.

Since 2015, Mind’s Blue Light Programme has provided emergency services staff and volunteers with information and advice, so they can better manage their mental health and support their colleagues. We also work with employers, equipping them to better support their staff and change the way they think and act about mental health.

In 2016, we expanded our Blue Light Programme into Wales, to improve mental health support for teams across ambulance, fire, police, and search and rescue services.

Emergency services staff and volunteers, Blue Light Champions and local Minds throughout Wales have come together to ensure mental health is a priority for everyone involved in blue light services. Here’s a bit more information about what we’ve been doing in Wales since the project started over two years ago.

Our Champions

There are now over 230 Blue Light Champions in Wales – emergency services staff and volunteers who have taken on the role within their workplace of promoting the importance of mental health and tackling stigma.

These Champions have been busy within their services changing the way people think and act about mental health by delivering presentations and disseminating information to colleagues.

Providing training

Local Minds deliver Blue Light Programme training, and were praised in the evaluation for bringing an independent, approachable and knowledgeable presence to the training sessions. They understand the needs of their community and tailor their services to match.

Other services provided by local Minds include talking therapies, peer support, advocacy, employment and housing support. Champions say they’ve received strong support from local Minds and Mind Cymru.

The response from emergency services

Demand for the Blue Light Programme has been high overall, as services have understood the programme’s value in addressing issues around poor mental health and wellbeing.

All police, ambulance, and fire and rescue services in Wales have now signed the Time to Change Wales employer pledge – a visible commitment to changing the way we think and act about mental health in the workplace. Many Champions say they’ve received strong support from their employers and trade unions.

Some emergency services in Wales have made Mental Health in the Emergency Services training mandatory. Services have also taken steps to assess the quality of their mental health support. For example, the Welsh Ambulance Service Trust signed up to the Mind Workplace Wellbeing Index, a benchmark of best policy and practice, achieving a bronze in their first year.

Don’t forget, workplace wellbeing is important for everyone.

We know that it’s not just members of the emergency services who have to deal with difficult situations and work under significant amounts of pressure. Here are the main recommendations from the Blue Light Programme that are useful for people in other industries:

• Create or strengthen a network  of Champions, ensuring role clarity, adequate training and  peer support.
• Ensure managerial commitment to mental wellbeing, especially senior management support, line manager engagement and budget for implementation.
• Develop a strong corporate policy framework for mental health and wellbeing, upon which initiatives like the Blue Light Programme and Time to Change Wales can be built.
• Develop links to other programmes such as Healthy Working Wales, Health at Work: The Corporate Standard, and Occupational Safety and  Health initiatives.
• Work with your local Mind to build relationships and gain support to keep improving support into core business practice.

If you or someone you know works for the emergency services, find out more about available support on our website.