Summary
Police Care UK has commissioned a health economic programme to estimate the costs associated with trauma-related mental health conditions in policing (e.g. PTSD/CPTSD) and to model where interventions deliver best value. The study progresses in three stages: a scoping review, UK cost estimation using available data, and economic modelling of interventions. Phase 1 draft results show higher prevalence of PTSD, depression and anxiety among police than in the general population, and highlight cost drivers such as sickness absence, reduced productivity and early retirement.
Why is this important?
Trauma affects individual wellbeing and operational capacity, but it also creates financial pressures through absence, presenteeism, turnover and healthcare use. Quantifying these costs and identifying cost effective support helps forces protect their people and budgets, and guides funders toward interventions with measurable impact.
Timeline
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Stage 1
Literature review: Oct 2025 – Jan 2026
Scoping review of prevalence and economic evidence for trauma-related mental health problems in policing and comparable emergency services -
Stage 2
Cost estimation: Jan – March 2026
Scoping review of prevalence and economic evidence for trauma-related mental health problems in policing and comparable emergency services
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Stage 3
Economic modelling: April – June 2026
Economic modelling to test value for money of interventions and identify high impact points in pathways; sensitivity analyses to assess assumptions
Focus of the Research
Estimate UK costs linked to trauma-related conditions in policing (including case study costing and monetised quality of life impacts)
Model the value for money of current and potential interventions to inform investment and service design
Background
Evidence and force feedback indicate growing mental-health need in policing, yet UK cost data are fragmented. Police Care UK is addressing this gap via a staged programme: reviewing published evidence, combining it with official/pseudonymised charity data, then using the combined evidence to model economic outcomes of support pathways.
Partners and funding
Commissioned and funded by Police Care UK; delivered by University of Greenwich
Results
Phase 1
Prevalence and need
Meta analytic evidence suggests pooled prevalence among police regularly exposed to traumatic events of approximately 13.9% for PTSD; pooled estimates for depression and anxiety around 9% each, higher than general population benchmarks cited in Phase 1. UK surveys report PTSD 3.9–8% and CPTSD up to 12.6% depending on instrument and exposure window.
Cost drivers identified in the literature
- Absence and return-to-work: UK administrative data show long term sickness absence is common, with a substantial share attributed to mental illness, generating large volumes of lost days. International studies indicate prolonged benefit use and varying RTW rates post treatment.
- Productivity losses: police with PTSD/depression/alcohol misuse report higher work limitation costs than peers without these conditions.
- Early retirement: case-based UK evidence indicates notable proportions of psychiatric retirements among applicants.
Evidence gaps now being addressed
Limited UK-specific cost-of-illness estimates for policing; few studies monetise quality of life impacts or capture costs borne by families and wider services. Upcoming phases will combine published evidence with accessible data and modelling to provide UK estimates and value for money assessments.
Additional resources linked to this research
Phase 1 literature review summary (coming soon)
