The paper recognises the impact of repeated trauma exposure and cumulative stress, and it makes a strong link between wellbeing and policing outcomes - including culture, productivity and the quality of service to the public. It also names the National Police Wellbeing Service (NPWS) as a national partner to support the physical and mental wellbeing of officers, staff and volunteers, and to tackle the causes of stress, trauma and illness across the workforce.
Alongside that, the White Paper sets out practical commitments intended to strengthen support day-to-day. These include developing national mandatory wellbeing standards with stronger trauma support and occupational health; putting the NPWS Mental Health Crisis Line on a sustainable footing for the whole workforce; expanding psychological risk assessments; mandating protected time for trauma and suicide prevention training for new recruits and supervisors; implementing trauma trackers in every force; exploring new evidence-based trauma interventions; and introducing a national welfare standard for those facing investigation.
It’s important to say that change on this scale won’t happen overnight. Some reforms will take time to design properly, will be phased in, and may require legislation. It’s understandable if officers and staff have questions - about what it means for you, how it will work in practice, and how quickly you’ll feel a difference.
For the workforce, there is real opportunity here: to improve access to support when you need it, to spot risk earlier and act sooner, and to reduce the “postcode lottery” so that the standard of wellbeing support is more consistent wherever you work. There are also signals of further work to strengthen support around sleep, fatigue and recovery, police families, and transition for those leaving the service.
For NPWS, our focus remains clear. We will keep building the evidence base, developing practical national tools and guidance, and working with forces and partners to help make these commitments real in a way that is consistent, measurable and centred on what helps in practice. And, as always, our work will be shaped by the voices and lived experience of the people we exist to support - officers, staff, volunteers and their families.
If you’re feeling the impact of this change, you don’t have to wait until you’re at breaking point. Please seek support early, speak to someone you trust, and use the help that’s available - locally and through national services.