Ill-health retirement can affect health, income and family life at once. A new Police Care UK initiative will provide clear guidance and human support to serving and veteran members of the police community before, during and after the process.
Often caused by harm experienced through the job, ill-health can bring a policing career to an abrupt end.
At the same time, people may be dealing with poor physical or mental health, a reduced income, pressure on family life and the loss of a professional identity that has shaped them for years. The decisions are complex. The consequences can be lasting.
Police Care UK provide specialist clinical therapy and financial support to help reduce the impact of harm experienced in UK policing.
Research shows many people enter ill-health retirement after being physically or psychologically harmed through policing. Yet the support available can be fragmented, inconsistent or too late. Guidance may vary between forces.
The process can be difficult to understand and opportunities to speak with someone who has been through it scarce. People are asked to navigate a complicated system when they often struggle to carry the burden alone.
Early demand shows why our support is needed with a pilot of our IHR Programme oversubscribed ahead of the programme’s formal launch in January 2027.
Our six-session course offers structured, small-group online support to serving and veteran members of the police community who are considering, going through or have completed ill-health retirement.
Emotional wellbeing is a priority throughout, rather than being treated as separate from the practical process. Crucially, support won’t stop when the paperwork does.
Ill-health retirement and retirement in general can leave a void long after a decision has been made. During the course, participants will explore the realities of leaving policing, make sense of difficult emotions, rebuild connections and consider what gives life meaning beyond the service.
Sessions are co-facilitated by Police Care UK staff and trained volunteers with lived experience – their involvement bringing practical insight, credibility and the reassurance of being understood. Workbooks will support reflection, note-taking and learning between sessions.
The programme is non-clinical and is designed to complement – not replace – legal, financial, pensions, occupational health or clinical advice. Where specialist help is needed, signposting to appropriate services will be available.
Our model is entirely flexible with those registered able to choose to attend sessions they feel are most relevant to them. Online delivery opens access across the UK and removes the need to travel when health or confidence may already be under strain.
Feedback so far has been positive and has directly shaped our offer, including a stronger focus on testimony from people with lived experience.
From January, Police Care UK will offer one session every fortnight to meet initial demand, with scope to increase to weekly delivery. Learning from those involved with the scheme – including volunteers and delivery partners – will continue to refine the programme.
Ill-health retirement can close one chapter without showing someone where the next begins. No one should be left to find that route alone.
By bringing together timely information, flexible access and support based on lived-experience , our trauma-informed programme addresses both the practical complexity and the human cost of transition our of service
Access support
To find out more about the support we can provide and to apply for a space on our online Ill-Health Retirement support programme launching in 2027, click here .
Share your knowledge
Do you have lived experience of the Ill-Health Retirement process in UK policing and can spare some time to contribute towards our Ill-Health Retirement Support Programme? Or maybe you could be a positive ambassador for the Charity by taking part in a wide range of policing events to raise awareness of the work we do? Click the button to discover more on how you can contribute.
