4.01 Assessing the health, wellbeing and welfare of the first responders community in the UK

Academic team: Dr Virginia Harrison, Prof Graham Pike, Dr Helen King
Policing partners: National emergency responders
Status: Complete

Reduced service budgets, staffing shortages, stagnant pay and changes in roles of services are affecting services blue light services sense of integration and value. These organisational pressures combined with exposure to trauma have a concurrent effect on well-being and mental health.

Whilst there is a large volume of activity concerning well-being and resilience in the police force (research projects, intervention/support programmes and professional guidance) there is no nationally representative UK study of health, well-being and welfare of First Responders across all emergency services.

This pilot project is being undertaken in collaboration with Kings College London.  The CPRL component will review the current landscape of on-going research projects pertaining to the mental health, well-being and welfare of First Responders and their families.  

Outputs

TitleOutputs typeLead academicYear
Assessing the mental health and wellbeing of the Emergency Responder community in the UKFinal reportHarrison, V2020

News

What does the next decade of evidence-based policing look like? Join us for the CPRL Engagement Day on 21 January 2026

This event provides a collaborative and welcoming environment for shared practice, reflection, and strategic direction-setting. Together, we will explore how our partnership can drive forward the next generation of research, innovation, and professional learning across UK policing.

27th October 2025