Answering the call

Answering the Call, a product of the National mental health and wellbeing study of police and emergency services project, was the first national survey that investigated the factors that affect the mental health of employees, volunteers and former employees in the police and emergency services. Included in the research were personal and workplace factors, stigma and support seeking, workers compensation system experiences, and experiences after leaving the service.

Answering the Call began in 2018 and conducted as Phase 2 of the Beyond Blue National Mental Health and Wellbeing Study of Police and Emergency Services. The Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC played a vital role by providing part of the funding of the Answering the Call project and by partnering with Beyond Blue in conducting the research through the University of Western Australia and Roy Morgan Research.

The project received full support from all Australian emergency service organisations that operate with a volunteer workforce, including rural fire services, and state and territory emergency services. Of the 36 agencies in the industry, 33 of these agencies participated in the project. A random sample was selected and contacted to participate in an online survey by email. The total number of survey respondents – employees and volunteers - was 21,014.

Project findings

The study found that, across the majority of the workforce in police and emergency services, there were good levels of positive mental wellbeing and resilience, and low levels of distress. However, compared with the general population, the levels of distress and mental health conditions in this sector were higher. One in three employees experienced high or very high psychological distress compared to just over one in eight of all Australian adults. The survey also showed that employees and volunteers are twice as likely to report having suicidal thoughts compared to the general population. The survey addressed areas of improvement to workplace culture, as the findings indicated that physical and verbal assault were fairly common.

Employees tend to stigmatise mental health more than the general population. The study found that by reducing that stigma could promote behaviours positive to each individual’s mental health. The majority of employees who made a workers compensation claim reported that the process hurt their recovery, and they found the system to be unsupportive and stressful more often than not. The survey also identified a number of gaps in mental health support, and recommended ways in which agencies can improve risk management and deliver support services. with many employees feeling there was insufficient help for their problems.

The results of Answering the Call include a national database that will be used for further research, both nationally as well as by individual agencies. Phase 2 is intended to act as a catalyst for each agency to review, refine and implement strategies that minimise long-term mental health impacts on employees and volunteers. The research will provide a basis for Phase 3 of the ongoing project, where the focus is on designing a collaborative ‘evidence to action’ project. A partnership approach will be taken with agencies to develop and implement a framework that aims to improve mental health and wellbeing in police and emergency sectors. The aim will be to understand the current state of knowledge and practices, and then to design strategies. Phase 3 will particularly focus on early career volunteers (aged 16-25).

The Answering the Call initiative has also contributed towards further separate studies. The University of Western Australia was able to gain research funding to follow the ongoing wellbeing and resilience of Australia’s first responders following the 2019-20 bushfires, and the CRC has begun a project to develop a framework for protecting the mental health of young volunteers.

Project benefits

The Answering the Call project is still being implemented but is showing potential to provide a range of benefits to Australia. The research has identified gaps in the existing framework for mental health service provision that will improve efficiency in managing mental health issues within the emergency services.

The costs of poor mental health in the sector’s workforce are high. There are 120,000 emergency services employees across Australia and an additional 240,000 volunteers, so there are significant potential monetary savings from preventing mental health problems from developing and treating them before they become severe. This will potentially save not only costs from lost productivity, but also reduce the burden on the wider mental health system.