‘PROTECTING THE PEOPLE WHO PROTECT THE PEOPLE'
our
purpose
WE ARE GIVING TO:
UKESG is set up to support ongoing emergency services mental health projects, including a partnership with Police Care UK, The Ambulance Staff Charity and The Firefighters Charity.
The CEOs of these 3 emergency services support charities are members of the Royal Foundation’s Senior Leaders Board. The Board was established in response to a recommendation arising from a research project commissioned by The Royal Foundation in 2018, looking into the mental health and wellbeing of emergency responders in the UK.
Conducted by King’s College London and the Open University, the work identified a need for collaboration and greater sharing of ‘better practice’ across the emergency services sector to support the mental health of its workforces.
In addition to partnering with the 3 main charities above, UKESG Ltd has committed to setting aside a small percentage of funds each year for the provision of individual grants. Applications from individual members of the Emergency Responder community for support for the treatment of mental health will be considered by the Grant Committee.
WHy?
Mental health across the Emergency Services is at crisis point:
- 1 in 20 (5%) Emergency Services workers have made an attemp to take their own life due to stress and other factors
- 1 in 4 (27%) have considered ending their lives
- 62% say they have experienced a mental health problem
- Over 9 in 10 (92%) respondents have experienced stress, low mood and poor mental health at some point while working for the emergency services
Source - Mind: Mental Health in the Emergency Services Survey 2018/19
- Recent polling shows that 50% of NHS workers said their mental health had declined since the start of the pandemic* with anxiety, stress and depression the most reported reasons for a marked increase in absence**
Sources – *YouGov poll for the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) on 22 April 2020. Sample of 996 healthcare workers across the UK
**NHS Digital – Sickness Absence Rates April 2020 (published 20 August 2020)
WHAT IS IT
ALL ABOUT
| Fire | Police | Ambulance | UK Average | |
| Reported own mental Health issues | 66% | 70% | 76% | 43% |
| Rated own mental Health as "poor" or "very poor" | 32% | 30% | 27% | 8% |
| Rated own mental Health as “very good" | 16% | 9% | 7% | 30% |
NB: both surveys used identical questions and methodology
WHAT WE DO
The “Gratitude Games” and the virtual “Gratitude Miles” are two major elements by which vital funds will be raised in pursuit of our objectives.
All participants of the Gratitude Games or Gratitude Miles are asked to pledge that:
- They will make a fundraising commitment to UKESG Ltd
- They will communicate the fundraising activity as widely as possible
- They will follow both UKESG and Gratitude Games on social media for updates to share
- They will use social media to share the fundraising message
- They will set up an online fundraising page (we can help with this) or ask friends, family and colleagues to support their fundraising efforts
our
5 year vision
UKESG (The Charity)
- Donate £10 million to support improvements in Mental Health for the Emergency Services
- Establish a measurable improvement in the state of mental health in the Emergency Services to the same level as in the general public
The Gratitude Games
- Generate £7.5 million direct surplus to UKESG
- A major annual event, with a charity/broadcast output to a UK TV audience
- A series of complementary mass participation events for the general public in 13 regions across the UK
- 200,000 participants over 5 years