New data reveals mental impact of emergency service work

A former Avon and Somerset Police detective says it's "extremely crucial" emergency workers have time to relax

Less than half of emergency workers say they can switch off at the end of their shifts
Author: James DiamondPublished 16th Apr 2023

A former Avon and Somerset Police detective has told us emergency workers must be given time to relax, as new data says 90 per cent feel their work negatively impacts their mental health.

The statistics have been released to mark the launch of a new charity called the Blue Light Card Foundation, which aims to improve the physical and emotional wellbeing of emergency service workers and military personnel by funding support projects.

The Foundation has been borne out of the Blue Light Card, which offers discounts on products.

The research from the Foundation published this week (Thursday 13 April), also says 62 per cent have considered leaving their job because of the stress and only 46 per cent felt they could leave the challenges of their work "at the door" when they finish a shift.

We have spoken to Louise Goldsmith, a former detective who quit after 11 and a half years in the police service and now runs decompression sessions through Hidden Valley Bushcraft near Bristol.

Alongside her husband Nick who is a former Royal Marine Commando, their Woodland Warrior Programme was the first to receive funding from the Foundation.

"The Woodland Warrior Programme is effectively a space for injured veterans and the blue light community to come to our woodland and our small holding to relax, learn new skills and all of the activities are therapeutic activities based around the outdoor world," she said.

Louise tells us the idea came about after she and Nick bought a small patch of overgrown woodland in Pensford in 2012 and quickly found spending time in it very relaxing.

"We thought oh, this is helping us, could this help other people?" She said.

"Some of Nick's colleagues had come down as well and they really enjoyed it so we thought, well, we've got a woodland, Nick's very good at instructing...so we set about setting up our Woodland Warrior Programme."

She tells us she's not at all surprised by the Foundation's findings.

The stress of the job

Louise described her time in the police as a struggle, referencing a lack of staff and long hours.

"It's a busy world in the world of investigations," she said.

"People generally think you must see and hear horrific things (and) yes you do, but actually what's just as hard is the fact that you're coming in, it's relentless, there's more jobs than there are people.

"You want to do a good job, most people join the police to do a good job, and sometimes you just feel that your hands are tied and you can't.

"I remember once I did a 20 hour shift, went home for four hours and then went back out into work again because you've only got 24 hours to investigate sometimes, when there's a prisoner in custody...

"You've got to focus for a long amount of time, you know interviewing people at four in the morning.

"It all takes its toll."

Breaking Point

Louise told us the exact moment when she realised the job had become too much.

"I came in early one day because I had such a backlog," she said.

"I walked in and I was told there was a prisoner I needed to deal with and there was no one else to deal with it and I was just totally overwhelmed.

"I would consider myself quite a resilient person, but I feel like on that day it just all got on top of me.

"I think that was the start of me thinking, 'I can't keep doing this.

"'I'm crying at the photocopier in front of an office full of people, what is wrong with me?'

"Even now thinking about it, it brings up loads of emotions."

Hidden Valley Bushcraft

Having quit the police to help others with their mental health, Louise says what they offer is "extremely crucial".

"People can just come and just ultimately relax," she said.

"You can be around like minded people and it's really important for us that it's peer to peer support.

"We have a lot of our participants who form connections with other people they've met on the course and then that leads to something else...

"I think you just can't really underestimate the bond that you can get from being with like minded people who share a common goal."

You can find out more about Hidden Valley Bushcraft here.

There's more about the Blue Light Foundation here.

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