Police Mental Health
Support Services
Crisis lines, policing charities, your Federation or staff association, occupational health and the NHS each do a different job. This directory says what each one offers, who can use it and what it says about keeping your details from your force, checked against each service's own pages.
Independent information, not advice · Sources checked 30 September 2026 · England and Wales unless stated
If you are in crisis, the Oscar Kilo Mental Health Crisis Line (24/7, for current and former police officers and staff in England and Wales) and Samaritans are open now; call 999 if life is at risk. For ongoing help, use your GP or NHS Talking Therapies, Police Care UK where policing caused the harm, and your force's occupational health or peer support. Confidentiality differs by service.
Help works, and asking for it is not a weakness or a disciplinary matter. Most of the services below are free, several are open all night, and some are fully independent of your force. If you are reading this because you are worried about someone else, see our guide to supporting a colleague who is struggling.
If you need help now: crisis and urgent routes
These routes are for when things feel unmanageable today. The phone numbers are in the box above, taken from one checked data file so they are never retyped by hand.
It is. None of these services asks you to prove you are in crisis before they will talk to you. The Oscar Kilo line was built because, in the words of the Police Covenant annual report 2025, the police had lacked a consistent, well-advertised, confidential and specialist mental health support service.
Support built for policing
Several organisations exist only for the policing family. They do different things, and eligibility rules differ, so read what each one says about who it helps.
Oscar Kilo: the National Police Wellbeing Service
Oscar Kilo is the National Police Wellbeing Service, hosted by the College of Policing. Most of what it does is delivered through or with forces, so for many services you reach it via your force's wellbeing team rather than directly. It runs or supports:
- The Mental Health Crisis Line, the one service individuals call directly (details above).
- Wellbeing vans that deploy to forces for physical, psychological and financial health checks, fatigue awareness and support after traumatic incidents. Oscar Kilo says they are staffed by occupational health staff from host forces or providers, and can include financial advisers, the Federation, chaplaincy, unions and staff networks. Forces book them.
- Peer support: training so forces can run peer support networks. Oscar Kilo says not every force has a team yet, and that your force wellbeing team or intranet will tell you who your peer supporters are.
- Psychological and trauma risk management, including the national HEART guidance, which Oscar Kilo says replaced the earlier STRICT guidance, and a confidential questionnaire (the Psychological Health Insight Tool) that occupational health units can use to spot early signs of strain.
- Occupational health standards, wellbeing dogs (OK9), healthy living resources, and hubs for families and for people leaving the police.
Police Care UK
An independent charity, funded by donations, that says it is independent of the police service and offers free, confidential support. It offers counselling and psychotherapy (including evidence-based trauma treatment), financial grants and help with career transition, including ill-health retirement. You refer yourself through its website.
Its eligibility is specific. It supports people currently employed or volunteering in UK policing (it names officers, staff, special constables and cadets), people who have left for any reason, and certain family members, where they have been harmed through policing. Harm means physical injury or psychological trauma from incidents such as sudden deaths, serious assaults, road and rail collisions, incidents involving children, and vicarious trauma from reviewing evidence. It says it cannot support problems caused only by organisational or occupational factors such as workload, conditions or operational change. It also says therapy needs access to a UK GP.
Blue Light Together and Mind
Blue Light Together is a signposting website for emergency responders and their families, created with The Royal Foundation, TASC, The Fire Fighters Charity, Police Care UK and Mind, and now run by the Blue Light Card Foundation. It points to crisis lines, helplines and financial help rather than providing treatment.
Mind ran a Blue Light Programme for police, fire, ambulance and search and rescue. Mind's pages blocked our checks; search listings of its Blue Light page say the programme came to an end in July 2023. We could not confirm whether the Blue Light Infoline still operates, so we have left it out of the support box on this page.
Treatment centres
The Police Treatment Centres (Harrogate and Auchterarder) and Flint House offer residential physiotherapy and psychological wellbeing programmes. HMICFRS said in its State of Policing 2024 to 2025 that around 90 percent of the funding for the specialist treatment centres comes from voluntary monthly donations by officers, staff and retired officers. Eligibility depends on that: the Police Treatment Centres require twelve consecutive months of donations, and say their psychological wellbeing programme is not appropriate for treating PTSD. Check each centre's own eligibility page.
Your Federation, staff association or union
Representative bodies are a route to both representation and welfare help. What they offer beyond representation varies by branch.
- Police Federation of England and Wales (constables to chief inspectors). Your local rep or branch is the first contact for welfare support tied to your job, for example sickness meetings, adjustments or an investigation. The Federation's AskTwice campaign collects wellbeing resources and a list of supporting organisations. Its national Welfare Support Programme was delivered by DMWS; DMWS now says funding for that service has ended, so do not rely on older leaflets that describe it. Ask your branch what welfare help it currently runs.
- Police Superintendents' Association. A peer support programme for all current members (contact the national office to be paired with a trained peer supporter), and a confidential mental health support service with a qualified counsellor, developed with the Chief Police Officers' Staff Association and Oscar Kilo, for PSA and CPOSA members.
- Police staff. Home Office guidance names UNISON for police staff alongside the Federation as a source of external support. Staff are represented by recognised trade unions; see our guide to police staff unions.
If you are facing misconduct proceedings, representation is covered in Federation representation and legal support.
Support inside your force: it varies
Every force offers some in-house support, but what, how much and how quickly differ. HMICFRS said in 2025 that all forces provide an occupational health service but there is often more demand than forces can meet from their budgets, which can lead to unreasonable delays. Treat the list below as what to ask about, not a promise of what exists where you work.
- Occupational health (OH). Advises managers on fitness and adjustments and supports officers who seek its advice. Some forces allow self-referral. How OH works and what it tells your managers are covered in the occupational health process and telling OH about your mental health.
- Employee assistance programme (EAP). Home Office guidance tells force HR to encourage referral to OH or employee assistance providers where appropriate. Many forces buy a telephone counselling and advice service from an outside provider. The provider, hours and session limits differ by force: your intranet or HR will have the details.
- Peer supporters and wellbeing leads. Colleagues trained to listen and signpost. Not every force has a peer support team.
- TRiM and post-incident support. Structured support after traumatic incidents. What to expect and what to ask for is in post-incident support, TRiM and debriefs.
- A nominated welfare contact. Home Office guidance says anyone with welfare concerns should be able to contact their line manager, HR, OH or a nominated welfare contact in force, and stresses this for people under investigation, who can feel isolated.
What is confidential from your force, and what is not
This is often the question that decides whether someone asks for help. The table records only what each service says about itself, or what the law or Home Office guidance says. Where a service did not publish a statement, we say so rather than guess.
| Service | What it says | Where it is written |
|---|---|---|
| Oscar Kilo Mental Health Crisis Line | Oscar Kilo says no information will leave the call or be shared with your force or line manager, and describes the line as 100% confidential. Federation branch news of the launch added that information will not be passed to occupational health. | Oscar Kilo crisis line page; Police Federation (West Mercia) |
| Samaritans | Samaritans says it keeps confidentiality, even after a caller's death, with listed exceptions. It says it will contact emergency services where there is a threat to life and it has identifying information, or where a caller appears incapable of making rational decisions. | Samaritans contact page |
| Police Care UK | Describes itself as independent of the police service and its support as free and confidential. | Police Care UK |
| Peer support in your force | Oscar Kilo says peer support is a confidential process. Peer supporters are colleagues, so ask your force's peer support lead what they would have to pass on, for example if someone is at risk. | Oscar Kilo, peer support |
| Superintendents' Association peer support | The PSA says peer support is a confidential process. | Police Superintendents' Association |
| Occupational health | OH advises managers and supports officers. Home Office guidance says managers must be clear about OH practitioners' professional confidentiality requirements, and that advice to managers should enable a management decision. It is not the same as an independent service. | Home Office statutory guidance, paragraphs 19.36 to 19.39 |
| Your GP and NHS treatment | Your force cannot ask your GP for a medical report for employment purposes without first telling you and getting your consent (Access to Medical Reports Act 1988, section 3), and you have rights to see the report. | legislation.gov.uk |
| Employee assistance programme (EAP) | Varies by provider and contract. Read the EAP's own confidentiality statement or ask it directly before you rely on it. | Not verified: differs by force |
If confidentiality is what worries you, you can ask any service, at the start, what it would share and with whom. That is a normal question and counsellors are used to it. Independent services (Samaritans, the crisis line, Police Care UK, your GP) are separate from your force. Occupational health is part of your force's arrangements and advises your managers, so understand how it works before you disclose; our guide on telling occupational health sets this out.
Which service for which situation
A quick guide. It is not a clinical triage, and if you are unsure, a crisis line or NHS 111 will help you work out where to go.
| Situation | Who to contact | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| You are thinking about ending your life, or you do not feel you can keep yourself safe | Call 999 or go to A&E if life is at risk now. Otherwise the Oscar Kilo Mental Health Crisis Line or Samaritans, any time. | NHS: a mental health emergency should be taken as seriously as a physical one. Oscar Kilo: a counsellor trained in suicide prevention gives in-the-moment support to keep you safe and signposts further help. |
| You need urgent help but it is not an emergency | NHS 111, mental health option (England); NHS 111 Wales, option 2 | In England, 111 will tell you the right place to get help. In Wales, you are put through to a mental health professional in your local health board area, 24 hours a day. |
| You want to talk to someone now, about anything | Samaritans | A trained volunteer listens. You do not have to be suicidal to call. Samaritans says the number does not show on your phone bill. |
| Something at work has harmed you: a traumatic incident, cumulative exposure, an injury | Police Care UK (self-referral); your force's post-incident or TRiM process; occupational health | Police Care UK offers psychological and financial support where harm was caused by policing. It says it cannot help with organisational factors such as workload on their own. |
| You have been low, anxious or not sleeping for weeks | Your GP; NHS Talking Therapies (self-referral in England for anxiety, depression, PTSD and some other conditions) | An assessment and, if suitable, therapy such as CBT, counselling or EMDR. Free on the NHS. |
| You are worried how health is affecting your work, or need adjustments | Occupational health (by self-referral where your force allows it, or via your manager); your Federation rep or union | OH advises your managers on fitness and adjustments. What it shares is covered in our occupational health guides. |
| You are under investigation, suspended or facing a hearing | Your Federation rep or union rep; a nominated welfare contact in force; the crisis line or Samaritans if you are struggling | Home Office guidance says people under investigation can feel isolated and should be able to contact their line manager, HR, OH or a nominated welfare contact. |
| Money is part of the problem | Police Care UK financial support (if harm through policing); your Federation branch; free debt advice services | Grants and signposting; see the money section below. |
| You have left policing, including if you were dismissed | Oscar Kilo Mental Health Crisis Line; Police Care UK (veterans); your GP | The crisis line was extended to people who have left, whatever their role, when or why they left. |
What to expect on a first call or referral
- Oscar Kilo crisis line. A qualified counsellor trained in suicide prevention and experienced with emergency service work answers. Oscar Kilo describes the call as in-the-moment support to help keep you safe and stable, with signposting to more support if needed. You can ask at the start what is confidential.
- Samaritans. A trained volunteer at one of its branches. You do not need to explain who you are or where you work.
- NHS 111. You will be asked questions to work out the right place for help. In Wales, option 2 connects you to a mental health professional.
- Police Care UK. You refer yourself online. Its criteria ask how policing harmed you, so it helps to think beforehand about the incidents or exposure involved.
- GP. An appointment to talk about how you are, possible treatment, and referral to services.
- Occupational health. An assessment with an OH nurse or doctor, usually leading to a report to your managers about fitness and adjustments.
- You do not need a script. "I'm a police officer and I'm not coping" is enough to start.
- If you are worried about your job, say so; it is a common worry.
- Write down any number or next step they give you before you hang up.
- If one route does not suit you, try another. Using one does not stop you using others.
Getting treatment through the NHS
Policing services often signpost you back to NHS treatment, which is free and separate from your force.
- Your GP. The NHS says a GP can advise about helpful treatments and help you access mental health services.
- NHS Talking Therapies (England). For people registered with a GP and aged 18 or over (16 or over in some areas). You can refer yourself, without seeing a GP, for depression, anxiety disorders, phobias, OCD, PTSD and body dysmorphic disorder. For some other conditions, such as eating disorders, bipolar disorder or psychosis, you usually need a GP referral. Therapies include CBT, counselling, interpersonal therapy, EMDR and mindfulness-based therapy, in person, by video or phone, or online.
- Wales. NHS Wales runs its own services. We verified NHS 111 option 2 for urgent help; we did not verify the Welsh equivalent of self-referral talking therapies, so ask your GP or local health board.
Your force can only obtain a medical report from your GP for employment purposes with your consent: the Access to Medical Reports Act 1988 requires them to tell you first and explain your rights, including to see the report.
When money is part of the problem
Money worries and mental health often feed each other, especially during long sickness absence or after leaving.
- Police Care UK grants for people harmed through policing, including funds for career transition and retraining, financial hardship during income disruption, physical adaptations, family time and educational bursaries. See its financial support page.
- Federation supporting organisations. The Federation lists free debt and money advice services such as Citizens Advice, National Debtline and StepChange, and says you can speak to your local Fed rep.
- What pays if you cannot work. Sick pay, injury awards and ill-health retirement are explained in the protection hub and long-term sickness.
- Debt pressure. See police debt and money pressure.
Families, and people who have left or been dismissed
Families
- Police Care UK supports a spouse, partner, child, step-child, grandchild, or anyone financially dependent on or living with someone harmed through policing.
- Oscar Kilo publishes family resources on mental health, sleep with shift-working partners, money and talking to children.
- The Police Covenant annual report 2025 says a bereavement counselling service has been launched through the Oscar Kilo website.
- The crisis line page describes it as for current and former officers and staff. The Covenant report describes a planned rollout to families. Until Oscar Kilo says families can call, a family member in crisis should use Samaritans, NHS 111 or 999.
People who have left policing
| Service | Retired or resigned | Dismissed |
|---|---|---|
| Oscar Kilo Mental Health Crisis Line | Yes | Yes: the extension names people who were dismissed |
| Police Care UK | Yes, where harmed through policing | Its criteria cover people who left for any reason |
| Police Treatment Centres | Retired from your force, with the donation condition | No: excludes those who resigned, were required to resign or were dismissed |
| Oscar Kilo leavers hub | Aimed at people in their last 18 months of service, open to anyone working in policing | Not stated |
| NHS, Samaritans | Yes | Yes |
Leaving can bring a sudden loss of routine, identity and colleagues. The leaving the police hub covers money, pension and next steps.
Police staff, special constables and volunteers
- Police staff and PCSOs: the crisis line is for officers and staff. Police Care UK names police staff. Staff are covered by force OH and EAP arrangements and represented by trade unions.
- Special constables: Police Care UK names special constables. The Federation says specials can join it, following the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022. We could not confirm from Oscar Kilo whether specials can use the crisis line, so ask when you call.
- Volunteers and cadets: Police Care UK covers people volunteering in a policing role and cadets. Oscar Kilo's home page lists volunteers in policing among the people it supports, but the crisis line page does not mention them.
Samaritans, NHS 111 and 999 are open to everyone, whatever your role.
What people get wrong
- "Calling a crisis line means my force will find out." Oscar Kilo says nothing from the call is shared with your force or line manager. Samaritans lists narrow exceptions, mainly a threat to life.
- "I have to be suicidal to call." Samaritans says people contact it with all sorts of concerns.
- "Police Care UK is for anything work-related." Its criteria are harm through policing; it excludes problems caused only by workload, conditions or organisational change.
- "Occupational health is independent." OH is part of your force's arrangements and advises managers, with professional confidentiality rules. Read how it works first.
- "Once I leave, the police support stops." The crisis line covers people who have left, including those dismissed, and Police Care UK supports veterans.
- "Every force has the same offer." HMICFRS has found well-being provision inconsistent between forces.
What we could not verify
- Mind Blue Light Infoline. Mind's site blocked our checks. We could not confirm whether it still runs, so it is not in the support box here.
- Crisis line and immediate risk. Oscar Kilo describes the line as 100% confidential; we did not find a published statement on what happens if a caller's life is in immediate danger.
- Crisis line for specials, volunteers and families. Not stated on the crisis line page. The Covenant report describes a planned rollout to families.
- Police Care UK therapy details. We could not read the detail of how many sessions or what assessment involves; ask Police Care UK.
- Force EAPs and OH self-referral. These differ by force and we have not checked each one.
- Federation branch welfare schemes. Branches differ and we have not checked each one.
- Welsh self-referral talking therapies. Not verified; ask your GP or health board.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a mental health helpline for police officers in the UK?
Yes. The Oscar Kilo Mental Health Crisis Line, run by the National Police Wellbeing Service with The Ambulance Staff Charity (TASC), is open 24 hours a day, every day, for people working in policing in England and Wales, and has been extended to people who have left policing. It is staffed by counsellors trained in suicide prevention. Samaritans is also open to anyone at any time. The numbers are in the support box on this page.
Is the Oscar Kilo crisis line confidential from my force?
Oscar Kilo says no information will leave the call or be shared with your force or line manager, and calls it 100% confidential. Federation branch coverage of the July 2025 launch added that nothing is passed to occupational health. We did not find a published statement on what happens if a caller's life is in immediate danger, so if that matters to you, ask the counsellor at the start of the call.
Can I use the Oscar Kilo crisis line if I have retired, resigned or been dismissed?
Yes, according to the announcement of its extension: it covers people who have left policing and are in a mental health crisis or having suicidal thoughts, including those who were dismissed, resigned or retired, whatever role they held, when they left or why.
What mental health support is available for police officers?
Crisis support (Oscar Kilo crisis line, Samaritans, NHS 111 mental health option, 999); NHS treatment through your GP or NHS Talking Therapies; Police Care UK for harm caused by policing; your force's occupational health, peer supporters, TRiM or post-incident support and any employee assistance programme; and your Federation, Superintendents' Association or trade union. What your force offers varies.
Can police officers get free counselling?
Often, yes, but through different routes. NHS Talking Therapies is free and in England you can refer yourself for anxiety, depression, PTSD and some other conditions. Police Care UK offers counselling and psychotherapy, free, where the harm was caused by policing. Many forces offer counselling through occupational health or an employee assistance programme, but what is offered and how many sessions differ by force.
Who is eligible for Police Care UK?
Police Care UK's criteria cover people currently employed or volunteering in UK policing (including officers, staff, special constables and cadets), people who have left policing for any reason, and certain family members, where they have been harmed through policing. It says it cannot support problems caused only by organisational factors such as workload or operational change.
Does the Police Federation have a welfare helpline?
We did not find a national Federation mental health helpline. The Federation's national Welfare Support Programme was delivered by DMWS, and DMWS now says funding for it has ended. Federation reps and branches remain a route to support and representation, and the Federation's AskTwice campaign collects wellbeing resources. Ask your branch what it offers.
What support is there for police superintendents?
The Police Superintendents' Association runs a peer support programme for current members and, with the Chief Police Officers' Staff Association and Oscar Kilo, a confidential mental health support service with a qualified counsellor, available to PSA and CPOSA members.
Will using a support service affect my career or vetting?
Using an independent service such as Samaritans, the Oscar Kilo crisis line or Police Care UK does not, by their own statements, involve telling your force. Occupational health works differently because it advises managers. We explain what happens to what you tell OH in our guide on telling occupational health about your mental health.
Can police staff and special constables use these services?
The Oscar Kilo crisis line is for officers and staff and those who have left. Police Care UK names police staff, special constables, cadets and volunteers. Special constables have been able to join the Police Federation since the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022. We could not confirm whether the crisis line covers specials and volunteers, so ask when you call.
Is there support for police families?
Police Care UK supports certain family members of people harmed through policing. Oscar Kilo publishes family resources and, according to the Police Covenant annual report 2025, launched a bereavement counselling service through its website. The crisis line page describes it as for current and former officers and staff, so family members in crisis should use Samaritans, NHS 111 or 999.
Is the Mind Blue Light Infoline still running?
We could not confirm it. Mind's own pages blocked our checks, and search listings of Mind's Blue Light page say the Blue Light Programme came to an end in July 2023. Blue Light Together, a signposting site for emergency responders, is now run by the Blue Light Card Foundation. Check Mind's site before relying on the infoline.
Sources and how we checked them
Every factual claim on this page was written from the sources below, read on 30 September 2026. Rules and figures change, so check the source for the date you are reading this. Where we could not confirm something from an official or independent source, the page says so rather than guessing. Spotted something out of date? See our corrections policy.
- Oscar Kilo: Mental Health Crisis Line — 24/7, England and Wales, delivered with TASC, counsellors trained in suicide prevention, confidentiality statement, not for the public (accessed 30 September 2026)
- NARPO: crisis line extended to those who have left policing — extension to leavers including dismissed, resigned and retired, any role, whenever or why they left (accessed 30 September 2026)
- Police Federation (West Mercia): new 24/7 crisis line launched (July 2025) — launch date 22 July 2025; not passed to force, line managers or occupational health (accessed 30 September 2026)
- Oscar Kilo: national suicide action plan and crisis line pilot (11 July 2024) — pilot in seven North East forces from June 2024 (accessed 30 September 2026)
- Oscar Kilo: home page and services overview — what the National Police Wellbeing Service provides (accessed 30 September 2026)
- Oscar Kilo: peer support for wellbeing — what peer support is; confidential process; not every force has a team (accessed 30 September 2026)
- Oscar Kilo: wellbeing vans — health checks, post-incident support, who staffs them (accessed 30 September 2026)
- Oscar Kilo: psychological and trauma risk management — HEART guidance replacing STRICT; Psychological Health Insight Tool (accessed 30 September 2026)
- Oscar Kilo: leaving the police and family life hubs — leavers resources; family resources at /family-life (accessed 30 September 2026)
- Police Care UK: full eligibility criteria — who is eligible, definition of harm, exclusions, therapy needs UK GP access (accessed 30 September 2026)
- Police Care UK: financial support — grant funds (accessed 30 September 2026)
- Samaritans: contact a Samaritan — confidentiality and its exceptions; not on phone bill; any concern (accessed 30 September 2026)
- NHS: where to get urgent help for mental health — 999 or A&E if life at risk; 111 mental health option; GP role (accessed 30 September 2026)
- NHS: NHS Talking Therapies — self-referral, eligibility and conditions (accessed 30 September 2026)
- Welsh Government: NHS 111 press 2 for urgent mental health support (20 June 2023) — 24/7, all ages, all of Wales, local health board mental health team (accessed 30 September 2026)
- Home Office: statutory guidance on professional standards, performance and integrity (February 2020) — paragraphs 5.48 to 5.57 (welfare, duty of care, external support); 19.36 to 19.39 (occupational health) (accessed 30 September 2026)
- Access to Medical Reports Act 1988, section 3 — consent before an employer applies for a medical report (accessed 30 September 2026)
- Police Federation: wellbeing and AskTwice — Federation wellbeing resources; supporting organisations list (accessed 30 September 2026)
- DMWS: police welfare — says funding has ended for the Federation Welfare Support Programme it delivered (accessed 30 September 2026)
- Police Superintendents' Association: wellbeing support — peer support; mental health support service for PSA and CPOSA members (accessed 30 September 2026)
- Police Federation: special constables — specials can join the Federation (accessed 30 September 2026)
- Blue Light Card Foundation: Blue Light Together — who runs Blue Light Together now and what it offers (accessed 30 September 2026)
- The Police Treatment Centres: eligibility — donation requirement; excludes those who resigned or were dismissed; PWP not for PTSD (accessed 30 September 2026)
- Flint House Police Rehabilitation — physical and mental health programmes funded by donations (accessed 30 September 2026)
- HMICFRS: State of Policing 2024 to 2025 — all forces provide OH but demand often exceeds budgets; three treatment centres mostly donation-funded (accessed 30 September 2026)
- Home Office: Police Covenant annual report 2025 — crisis line pilot and planned rollout to families and leavers; bereavement counselling via Oscar Kilo (accessed 30 September 2026)
On this topic elsewhere
More in this guide series
Related pay, pension and protection
Disclaimer
PolicePay.co.uk is an independent reference site. It is not a health, counselling or legal service, and this page is general information, not medical, psychological or legal advice. It cannot consider your personal circumstances. If you are struggling, speak to your GP, a qualified professional or one of the services listed on this page. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 999. Details apply to England and Wales unless stated. Details are as checked on 30 September 2026.