Dependencies & Achievability

We recognise to achieve and fulfil the action plan there are a number of dependencies that should be and are being considered. These are aspects we continue to work with colleagues across P&D and the wider organisations to consider and plan accordingly. These include:

• Force wide and Senior leadership support and engagement with the programme.

• Force wide engagement with and delivery of plan.

• Alignment with Divisions and department priorities and commitments.

• HWB team resources and expertise in place to undertake the plan. This will influence aspects such as the time period in which the action plan is delivered.

• Specific financial support if it is felt external expertise is needed to progress i.e. recent independent review of health and wellbeing conducted by external organisation Thrivewise.

Current Action Plan Update Areas

Whilst we have been undertaking the development of the plan we are aware that some areas have emerged as a priority, a brief overview of some of the most prominent areas at present is provided below.

Mental Health and Suicide Prevention

We recognise and are committed to the mental health of our officers and staff and have ensured that mental health and suicide prevention is a key focus within the proposed programme action plan moving forward. We have dedicated a stream of work within the plan to this area of which we have provided an overview below. Whilst some of the actions across prevent, mitigate and undo may take some time to fulfil we have ongoing work in this space which we continue to embed and evolve. An overview of this area is provided below with more information within the detailed plan in Appendix A:

HWB Goal
• Improve workforce Mental Health and suicide prevention.

HWB Impact statement
• Our people are valued and we have reduced the stigma of mental ill health.

HWB Objectives:
• Develop Mental Health informed workforce.
• Reduce the impact of exposure to trauma.
• Develop understanding of impact of operational pressures.
• Reduce mental health stigma.

HWB Actions:
• Develop and implement an overarching workforce mental health and suicide prevention/postvention action plan. The plan would drive this agenda and aim to connect work in this space throughout the organisation i.e Policing Together, Learning, Training and Development, Leadership and Talent, and link to external work such as CRUSE Scotland, Public Health and NHS Education for Scotland, Police Treatment Centre, Police Care UK, Oscar Kilo.

• Develop and deliver the Lifelines Scotland Facilitators, 110 at present, programme to expand the reach of the project, target to reach the whole workforce with crucial resilience, self-care, supporting colleagues and post trauma support training through a Police Scotland/SPA and peer support lens.

• Deliver an effective and evaluated HWB Champions network. Building on the existing Wellbeing Champions Network, 240 at present, to foster a supportive, connected work environment, where two-way communication is valued.

• Scope out and develop a systematic approach to managing wellbeing to ensure that following injury, assault or exposure to trauma in the workplace, people are given appropriate and timely professional support.

• Scope out and consider approaches such as the development of trauma tracker, using PTEC (Police Traumatic Events Checklist from Police Care UK), to enable line managers to monitor and take action.

• Deliver effective and evaluated Trauma Risk Management service building on the existing programme.

• Develop innovative approach to wellbeing and resilience assessments, approach to be informed by a full review and evaluation of the existing measures in place. Approaches to consider the National Police Wellbeing Service's (NPWS) approach of using bespoke psychological questionnaires and structured interviews for screening individuals in high-risk policing roles as a commendable practice.

• Collaborate with Health & Safety to develop understanding and utilise the data and insights and connect agendas particularly in relation to the impact on wellbeing of "undesirable circumstances". A key aspect is to develop a pathway for highlighting issues.

• Produce a series of lived experience pieces with clear signposting and call to action.

• Work to ensure our people can access the right help at the right time, through the development of a cohesive communication and engagement strategy for health and wellbeing. To include the continued development of health and wellbeing intranet page, planning and delivering an annual health and wellbeing campaign calendar, promoting wellbeing through various initiatives such as Wellbeing Champions Network, roadshows, town hall events, world cafes, unconferences and other participatory methods for engagement and dialogue.

• Develop and implement the Employee Assistance Programme particularly the new stepped care model of support for mental health and trauma.

• Define and promote line management EAP referral pathway

• Influence health and wellbeing content in leadership and line manager programmes including People Management Development Programme (PMDP), Police Leadership Development Programme (PLDP) and Your Leadership Matters (YLM).

• Influence health and wellbeing content in probationer training and build on the latest introduction of Lifelines Scotland to the training.

Improvements made to Police Officer Ill Health Retrial (IHR) and Injury on Duty processes (IoD)

Simultaneous Ill Health Retiral and Injury on Duty Determinations

Early in 2024, staff from Police Scotland have engaged with the Occupational Health Provider who oversee the Selected Medical Practitioner service to adopts a change of approach to separate Ill health retiral and Injury on Duty assessments, currently indicated by guidance. The new approach was supported through the working group looking for improvements in Ill Health Retiral and Injury on Duty that engages with the Scottish Police Federation and who fully supported this change. The new approach was started in March 2024 and though numbers so far wishing to progress this option remain small at this time, this approach will deliver further improvements to timescales. It will also minimise the need for officers and ex officers to revisit traumatic situations during separate medical appointments, an experience which was described by some as ‘re-traumatising’ in their evidence to the Criminal Justice Committee.

Fast-tracking of IHR cases to Police Scotland’s Director of People and Development for approval.

From May – November 2023, a trial took place to fast-track IHR cases to the Director of People and Development where they met the following criteria:

• All key competencies required to be a police officer were permanently affected.
• The officer was permanently unfit for Regular employment (30 hours or more).

7 officers met the criteria during the evaluation timescale, taking an average of 27 days (ranging from 16-42 days) to progress from SMP appointment to sign off by the Director of P&D. In comparison, 8 officers who met the criteria from January – May 2023, prior to the introduction of the fast-track process, took an average of 61 days (ranging from 35-82 days) from SMP appointment to sign off by the Director of P&D. Therefore, the trial demonstrated a reduction in wait time for approval of 34 days per case on average. This trial showed the value in the decision to fast-track, albeit with a small number of individuals, in time saved to complete the process when there was no possibility of the officers being suitable for a role in policing. This fast-track process will now continue as standard practice and no issues were reported during the trial of this approach with all stakeholders in agreement to continue.

Numbers of Officers in IHR and IoD Processes and Average Waiting Times.

These figures are now reported on a quarterly basis to the People Committee of the Scottish Police Authority. May’s report noted the following:

“In the last 12 months, the review of the Ill Health Retirement (IHR) and Injury on Duty (IoD) award processes saw the implementation of a number of improvements. Currently, both processes are functioning well in terms of case progression and timescales. Regular oversight and checks are in place to identify cases where timescales indicate variance from norms and to ensure quick remedial action when necessary.”

Cases awaiting finalisation at the end of the last 2 financial years as below.

Ill Health Retiral - March 2023 - 77 officers in process

Ill Health Retiral - March 2024 - 59 officers in process

Injury on Duty - March 2024 - 50 officers in process

Injury on Duty - March 2024 - 39 officers in process

Current Position

In June 2024, 7 Police Officer Ill Health Retiral cases were finalised with the Scottish Police Authority (SPA); 4 Injury on Duty cases were also finalised and approved by the SPA.

There are currently 57 officers actively in the IHR process. Of those 57 cases, 26 have either had their appointments with the Selected Medical Practitioner (SMP) or have one booked; 31 require an appointment and await receipt of GP or specialist reports to progress same.

Of those who had an SMP (IHR) appointment in June, the average wait for SMP appointment was 6 months. The average length of time for those officers approved for IHR by the SPA in June 2024 was 8 months from the start of the process.

Of those who had an SMP (IoD) appointment in June the average wait for SMP appointment was 8 months, a 6 month increase from May. The increase is due to 2 cases delayed by the requirement for further medical evidence. The longer-term average now is circa 5 months. The average length of time from start of process to approval of IoD by SPA was 8 months.

Progress of cases through both processes and updates on improvement to processes will continue to be reported to the People Committee.