Evaluation and Review Insights and Recommendations - HMICS Frontline Focus – Wellbeing Inspection

The aim of the review was to engage directly with frontline officers and staff to identify the issues they consider support or impact on their wellbeing, and to assess the work undertaken by Police Scotland/SPA to improve wellbeing. The objectives were to:

• Identify the factors that officers and staff consider support or impact their wellbeing.
• Assess the approach taken by Police Scotland in comparison to recognised professional guidance and approaches elsewhere.
• Engage with frontline officers and staff to assess their awareness of Police Scotland’s approach to wellbeing, associated activities and the effectiveness of this approach.

The key recommendations to emerge from the review are summarised below:

• Recommendation 1 - Police Scotland should develop a wellbeing plan that has appropriate governance, structure and activity, reflecting the People Strategy, and delivered equitably across the organisation.

• Recommendation 2 - Police Scotland should implement effective actions to understand and address organisational stressors, including those caused by perceived unfairness in application of process/ procedures.

• Recommendation 3 - Police Scotland should demonstrate flexibility in the deployment of resources across the entire organisation to reduce the impact of low resourcing levels on the wellbeing of frontline officers and staff.

• Recommendation 4 - Police Scotland should ensure that its Estates Strategy promotes parity and ensures an appropriate standard of facilities are provided across its estate.

• Recommendation 5 - Police Scotland should conduct wellbeing impact assessments when developing new and existing strategies, policies and procedures.

• Recommendation 6 - Police Scotland should ensure that wellbeing training is provided to all line managers to ensure a supportive, proactive and preventative approach. Existing training should be reviewed and amended to reflect the new People Strategy.

• Recommendation 7 - Police Scotland should promote a culture and embed a process of carrying out and evidencing frequent conversations with line managers, which includes a discussion on wellbeing.

Health and Wellbeing Programme Approach

The independent evaluation of Police Scotland's health and wellbeing programme and the HMICS Frontline Focus – Wellbeing Inspection have revealed both strengths and areas in need of improvement across multiple dimensions of organisational health and wellbeing. These insights alongside those gathered from the 2023 Policing and Trauma Conference hosted by the Scottish Police Authority have supported the further development of an organisational approach to health and wellbeing.

The health and wellbeing framework below has been further developed to encapsulate the emerging priority areas and the shift in focus and approach to health and wellbeing. The proactive, preventative and person-centred approach intends to understand and consider the needs of our people, ensuring that the engagement with our people is not just a reactive response but we also make an impact in terms of prevention and mitigation of factors. The focus (prevent, mitigate and undo) is depicted in colour within the plan, please see Appendix A for the full plan. An overview of the framework is highlighted below.