Supporting Neighbourhood Policing Wellbeing Week

YOLO Wellbeing visit Cumbria, Durranhill Police Station

YOLO Wellbeing was invited by the Cumbria Police Occupational Health (OH) team to support their wellbeing and awareness week for the Neighbourhood Policing Team based at the Durranhill station in Carlisle.

The invitation was received following a recommendation from Morecambe Bay Hospital Trust, where YOLO Wellbeing delivers regular sessions to NHS staff at their three hospitals; Furness General, Westmoreland and Royal Lancaster hospitals.

Recognising that Policing can be challenging; both physically and emotionally, the OH team believed the YOLO Experience would provide holistic support to staff.  

The challenges faced by Cumbria Police

Supporting staff health and wellbeing is essential to the wellbeing of society.

The job they do is tough. Long hours, physically demanding and not to mention the mental resilience needed to deal with the crimes they witness.

With budget cuts over the years, the number of police officers on the street has decreased but the demand on the service hasn’t. This can only cause further stress to the individuals doing the job.

Supporting the Neighbourhood Policing Wellbeing Week

The aim of the Wellbeing Week was to raise awareness amongst staff to be more engaged in their self-care and create an environment that is more caring and less stigmatised. 

The YOLO Experience is a 1-2-1 treatment that combines therapeutic massage with meditation and breathing techniques to achieve a deep relaxation of both the muscles and the mind.

The experience provided an opportunity for team members to engage in self-care activities they may not have otherwise thought to try, and they were able to experience improvements In their physical and mental health.

To deliver the service YOLO Wellbeing liaised with a member of the team on-site at Durranhill to promote the event and fulfil the 18 appointments. Half were booked in advance, using the digital booking system. The remainder were booked on the day using a QR Code.

The service was oversubscribed by late morning as word–of–mouth spread through the station and early participants provided feedback to colleagues.

The internal resource required to organise the delivery of the service was minimal, with the YOLO Wellbeing team providing timely communication in advance, and on the day.

Set up was easy, when YOLO Wellbeing arrived they parked close to the police building and staff accessed the service at their allotted appointment times.

Feedback from the Team

YOLO Wellbeing with Cumbria Police neighbourhood team

The feedback from the team was 100% positive; everyone who provided feedback felt their mood, stress, energy levels and performance improved following their YOLO Experience session.

Some of the comments from the team include:

“Very relaxing break during the working day, feeling much better returning to work.“

“Amazing to relieve the tension in my jaw and neck, a brilliant way to start my shift. Excellent advice on how to really relax.“

“The tension in my neck and shoulders disappeared. It has not felt like this for such a long time. Thank you.”

Client Testimonial

“I would happily recommend the YOLO Experience to any Police constabulary across the country as it was great for our officers and staff to be offered a service that reset wellbeing and health. Those who attended found it beneficial and a complete change to their normal working day.

“It was also nice to be able to support the workforce from an organisational perspective and are looking to offer the service to other parts of the county.” Janine Hazlehurst, Senior Occupational Health Advisor – Cumbria Police