999 STAFF ‘CLOSE TO BREAKING POINT’
HUGE RISE IN POLICE, FIRE AND AMBULANCE WORKERS OFF SICK WITH MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS AS CUTS LEAD TO RISING WORKLOADS
THERE has been a huge rise in the number of emergency service workers forced to take time off due to stress, anxiety and other mental health issues, the M.E.N. can reveal.
Unions say police officers, fire service staff and ambulance staff are almost at breaking point due to workload and unprecedented cuts.
Growing public need, they say, is also to blame.
Data obtained by the M.E.N. shows that in the past two-and-a-half years – up to July – the region’s 999 services have taken a combined total of 152,128 days off work due to mental ill-health such as depression, anxiety, stress - as well as personal reasons including divorce and bereavement.
Figures show that there was a 37 per cent increase in the number of police officers having to take time off for mental health reasons in just one year.
In 2016, 510 staff needed time off, compared to 372 in the year before – with a total of 74,782 days lost.
The number of days taken by uniformed Greater Manchester Fire Service (GMFRS) staff had also risen in that time by 75pc. In 2015, the brigade lost 1,679 days due to mental illness by firefighters – but that rose sharply to 2,950 the following year.
The North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) has also seen a slight increase in days lost. The highest level of staff illness tends to be in winter.
In total, NWAS lost 26,583 days to mental health problems last year, compared to 23,790 days the year before.
In recent years, the number of frontline officers at GMP has shrunk dramatically as Home Office cuts take their toll. The force had 8,000 officers in 2010 before the government launched its austerity drive, but now has closer to 6,000.
Cuts to frontline staff have been mirrored in other emergency services.
Police, fire and ambulance chiefs say they are aware of the impact of issues such as anxiety and stress and are doing everything they can to help staff.
Union officials say they are concerned that deep government cuts have fundamentally reshaped local emergency services, heaping new responsibilities and pressures on already-stretched workers.
David Atkinson, regional organiser at UNISON, said: “Workers’ response to having too few resources or too little time to meet somebody’s need can be to take it upon themselves – to miss their break, to stay at work late, to rush around to try to make up the shortfall.
“This can only be a temporary fix, and over time it can impact on their own health and well-being. We need to provide all our public service workers with fair pay, and the time and resources they need to provide quality services – without putting their own health at risk.”
A Fire Brigades Union (FBU) spokesman said: “Firefighters are likely to witness traumatic scenes on a regular basis. This can be very challenging. Therefore, fire services need to create an environment where firefighters feel they can speak openly and honestly about what they are going through.”
NWAS employs around 4,900 staff; GMFRS has 2,100 – officers and civilians; and GMP has 11,400 staff, including officers and civilian staff.
Emergency service bosses say they are doing everything they can to provide counselling and support to staff who need time off. They have also tried to remove the stigma associated with mental ill-health and make it easier for staff to report issues.
GMFRS’ director of emergency response, assistant county fire officer Dave Keelan, said: “We have an extensive network of support in place, including counselling, a 24-hour free helpline and a dedicated health and wellbeing team.
“We are also working to challenge the stigma surrounding mental health and earlier this year we signed the MIND Blue Light pledge, showing our commitment to promoting wellbeing in the workplace.”
GMP Chief Constable Ian Hopkins said the wellbeing of all staff is a top priority for the force.
“I have previously said we need more officers in GMP than we currently have – I have no doubt this has an impact on officers’ wellbeing,” he said.
“Over the last 12 months we have successfully recruited 580 new officers, including 125 who transferred from other forces, but it still remains that, since 2010 GMP has lost 2,000 officers.”
NWAS director of organisational development Michael Forrest said: