Having spent the first of two weeks at St Andrews, the Police Treatment Centre in Harrogate, BTP officer and Fed Rep, Michael Natavio has written about the experience.
As he explains, low take-up amongst BTP officers means colleagues are missing out on treatment that could dramatically improve their physical and mental health...
My arrival at the PTC (Police Treatment Centre) in Harrogate marked a journey that had taken five years. I cannot believe I did not do this sooner.
I have been paying into the PTC directly from my pay since I joined BTP in 2005. In that cold hall in Tadworth, Surrey I was told by a spokesperson that, much like the Federation Insurance, “You are better off having it, as one day you might need it.” The amount was and has always been minimal. The cost is less than buying two bohemian coffees in a trendy part of whichever up-and-coming city area you can think of, coming in at £7.20 a month. As the PTC is a registered charity, I thought it would be my contribution to help those who need it, and I have never felt it come out of my account.
Just before COVID, I didn’t realise that the day had come around when I too would need it. Like most men in my position, I ignored the signs and symptoms and thought I just had a “niggle” in my knee that would go away. After all, I am still relatively young, I keep in good shape and stay fit and active. The niggle never did go away but I managed to keep on going through life. Then I sustained an injury which in turn exasperated the tension in my knee and rather than treat the symptom, I treated the pain. Things were ok for a while. Until they weren’t!
A couple of people who were long-term sick off my unit had been to the PTC in Harrogate (there is also one in Auchterarder, Scotland) and told me what a wonderful place it was to recuperate and rejuvenate. I had seen the information leaflets, had the talks, and even in my role as a Federation Rep advised others to pay into it and go. But never did I think that the PTC was there was to help people like me as well. Not just the ones who needed physical rehabilitation, but the ones who needed mental wellbeing too.
It was a light bulb moment for me. I had heard about this place but had never really listened as to what it could offer. I spoke often to people about it but never understood the conversation. I still remember the exact time that all the pieces fell into place.
Booking a stay
The process to book a place at the PTC is a simple one. I confirmed that I had been paying into the PTC for over a year (as I said I had been paying into it since I joined up, and never really noticed it -why would you if it is coming straight out of your account?). I downloaded the form from the PTC website, filled it in and then got my GP to sign the form as they were privy to my medical history, including x-rays and other documents. The other people on my team went through BTP Occupational Health. As long as one of them signs the form for you, knowing about your condition and can provide medical documentation, it is straightforward to do. You then send the form and the documentation directly to the PTC and they get back to you with a time period that is suitable for you in the next three months.
All this time I had been putting it off because I didn’t think it applied to me, or it was too difficult to do, or I was too busy to do it, or too lazy. You know the excuses yourself for putting it off, because there was always something more important to do. But you know what’s more important than you? Nothing. Your family deserve to have the best you. The job is only as good as the person doing it. You deserve to be at your best both mentally and physically to enjoy what you have in your life.
A warm welcome
As I approached the steps to the beautiful building that would be my haven for the next week (I opted for one week at a time; most people have 2 weeks back-to-back for therapy), I could not get over the splendour of the ground and location. The journey from London was not a difficult one by public transport but they have plenty of parking facilities if you choose to come by private transport. I won’t go into the history of the building or how it came to be, as they have their own website to tell you about it. But what the website doesn’t tell you is how friendly the staff are, how good the food is (all dietary requirements are catered for), and the wonderful characters you meet.
I arrived on the Sunday evening as I was never going to make the 10am check in on the Monday morning from my place in Essex otherwise. I was shown around by a guy from another force who was a patient there starting their second week. He told me his story without me intruding and was open and honest about the facility. Like me, he had found himself wishing he had done this sooner.
He had recently had shoulder surgery and was on restricted duties from a Home Office force. As his shoulder was not healing as well as he had hoped, he went through his force’s Occupational Health department to get to Harrogate and in a week his range of motion had increased by 50%, and he credits that due to him being at the PTC. I honestly thought he was getting paid on the side given how enthusiastic he was about the place. It was the second of many warm welcomes.
The first was from the lovely receptionist who waited for me before they went home. They went out of their way to give me a typically Northern welcome and what was supposed to be a five-minute check in ended up being a 30-minute conversation about everything and anything. Like I said, the people and atmosphere are friendly and welcoming.
Facilities and treatment (and food!)
For those who have never been, the first day is spent with the on-site nurses and therapist teams. They give you a timetable depending on what your needs are. In-patients are split into two categories of physiotherapy and psychological support. You are then sent to your subject matter expert who recommends what classes you should do, and to go over your own development plan. This is because what you do at the Centre helps in life after the PTC.
The facilities are some of the best I have experienced. If you calculate how much you would have to spend privately on what you have access to at the PTC, the cost would be so expensive. The classes are taught by physiotherapists who are well-respected in their field, and even some members of staff who help with the running of the place are athletes in their own right.
But the pleasure of coming to a place like this, apart from the rehabilitation, has to be the people you meet. Whilst in a hydrotherapy pool, I got talking to a member of police staff that used to be a BTP officer. Earlier this year, the Police Treatment Centre opened its doors to include police staff among their members, and he took advantage of it as he had used the facilities as a police officer. I also met a few other retired officers (as the PTC also cater for retired officers), one of whom had served in the Metropolitan Police, Lancashire Police, and retired with West Yorkshire Police where he was originally from. As with everything police related, the talk always turns to job. Talking to people who have been through what you do is in effect a type of therapy amongst peers. And I expect that is what the PTC encourages.
Retired officers use the PTC service in the same manner as a serving police officer would do. So, any physiotherapy officers need when they retire is delivered to the best standard available. Something to think about for all those who are coming up to retirement - especially as the contributions are less than those requested from police officers and staff.
Sitting down for mealtimes was the most joyous part of my day. Whilst the classes, exercises activities et al have their purpose to get you back to where you need to be, the mealtimes are a social activity in themselves. The seating plan at the beginning of the week is what you stick to for the rest of your time here. Like every out-of-force residential course you go on, the first meal is a meet and greet. People from different forces all here for a common purpose; to get themselves better. But by the end of the week, these same people become your support network. Someone who knows what you are going through and is walking that same path as you. I was sat on a table with a retiring DI, two PCs and a PS from different police forces. Some uniform, some from the covert world and some from CID, all of us talking about how badly our muscles ached from certain classes and exercises. Or being beaten up by the hardest massage chair in the world (which was donated by NARPO, the National Association of Retired Police Officers). Or having the best therapy lessons (both mental and/or physical) that are showing impressive results.
Low take-up in BTP
It is all these things that made the PTC an excellent place for helping me back to full fitness.
In the job we do, is it worth taking the risk of not being a part of it? It has taken me five years to get the treatment that my body needs. In some cases, it takes officers longer. A disturbing statistic I discovered when I was there was that only 33% of BTP are in the PTC. Talking to people who have been, they too could not believe it. Private healthcare is great but expensive. The NHS is under a huge strain at this moment in time. This is one of the few charities that will directly help you if you are contributing to it. It is worth a lot more than the contributions that come directly out of your pay packet.
If the treatment is helping you, I would ask you to donate what you can so that they can continue doing what they do. And if you are not contributing, I would implore you to sign up as you never know if you may need it in the future. Especially in our line of work. You may be one of the few who may never need it, but then you are contributing to a charity that helps your colleagues who stand beside you the length and breadth of the country. When you think about it, £7.20 every 4 weeks is a minimum price to pay for a priceless service.
I look forward to my second week back there and hopefully after five years, I can reach the end of my journey.