‘Amazing work’ by forces in providing wellbeing support recognised at Oscar Kilo awards
The “amazing work” to provide wellbeing support for officers and staff across UK policing has been recognised at the annual Oscar Kilo awards.
The award categories reflect the seven areas of the Blue Light Wellbeing Framework (BLWF): leadership; absence management; creating the environment; mental health; personal resilience; protecting the workforce; and occupational health.
This year they also included a ‘special non police award’, for other organisations such as UK fire and rescue services which are working towards completing the BLWF, and a ‘Crisis Support’ award.
The winners were announced during a ‘celebratory event’ at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester.
This was the first time for three years that Oscar Kilo, the National Police Wellbeing Service, had been able to get everyone together to announce the winners live.
The event was facilitated by Oscar Kilo service director Andy Rhodes and deputy chief executive officer for the College of Policing, Nick Bayley.
“The attendees were made up of individuals who had been crucial to the success of their projects, wellbeing and occupational health leads and representatives from their chief officer teams,” said Oscar Kilo.
“They got the chance to mix with their counterparts from across the country, sharing ideas and good practice and having a catch up.
“The Oscar Kilo Awards have been created to recognise the amazing work that has been done and continues to be done, across UK policing when it comes to providing wellbeing support for the people who work for you.”
The annual awards are judged by Oscar Kilo’s senior leadership team alongside external judges Professor Cary Cooper, co-chair of the National Forum for Health and Wellbeing and president of CIPD, and Linda Hindle, engagement lead for police, fire and ambulance services office for health improvement and disparities.
“The entries were once again of a high standard; it’s always amazing to hear about all the work which is taking place in police wellbeing and to see how forces are developing their offer to support their staff,” the judges said.
Oscar Kilo award winners 2023
Leadership:
Winner: Gloucestershire Constabulary – Embedding wellbeing into leadership.
Runner-up: Merseyside Police – Leadership and me.
Absence management:
Winner: Greater Manchester Police – Enhancing occupational health.
Runner-up; Leicestershire Police – The Rosemary Conley 28-day immunity plan.
Creating the environment:
Winner: Lincolnshire Police – Wellbeing collective.
Runner-up: Greater Manchester Police – GMP Armed Forces network.
Mental health:
Winner: Gwent Police – Gwent wellbeing team.
Runner-up: Lincolnshire Police – Psychological screening programme.
Personal resilience:
Winner: Durham Constabulary – Supporting personal financial resilience.
Runner-up: West Midlands Police – Project alcohol experiment.
Protecting the workforce:
Winner: Cheshire Constabulary – Protecting the workforce wellbeing programme.
Runners-up: Humberside Police – Stay well campaign; and Bedfordshire Police – Welfare and benevolent fund.
Occupational health:
Winner: Merseyside Police – Occupational health relaunch.
Runner-up: Bedfordshire Police – Wellbeing bites.
Special awards:
Non-Home Office force
Winner: Ministry of Defence Police – MDPfit occupational fitness, health and wellbeing programme.
Crisis Support
Winner: Greater Manchester Police – Operation Manteline: Welfare strategy following the Manchester arena bombing.
You can read all about their winning projects at