NPC&TC - Noticeboard

Have you a story to tell?

We are looking for officers willing to help promote the treatment centres to their colleagues.

If you have an interesting story to tell about your time at either St Andrews or Castlebrae, please contact Gemma Pettman on 01423 504448.

Gemma is keen to hear from people who are willing to give testimonials, be interviewed for written articles or even participate in publicity events in person.

Childcare Solution?

If childcare problems are standing in the way of an officer seeking treatment at NPC&TC, help may be at hand.

Both of our centres have self-catering cottages available for use by families. Officers with young children can apply to stay in one of the cottages and can bring a partner, family member or friend with them to care for the children while they receive treatment.

For officers who simply have no-one they can call upon to assist in this way there is an alternative available at St Andrews in Harrogate. Again the officer can apply to stay in the cottage with their children but during treatment sessions, a place can be arranged for the youngsters to attend a local Kindercare Nursery. The cost of this placement will be borne by the officer.

*The nursery is located a short walk away from the centre in Cornwall Road. The nursery has undergone extensive refurbishment and cares for children aged 12 weeks to five years from Monday to Friday. Qualified staff and nursery assistants care for the children and the nursery is supervised by a full qualified and experienced Early Years Practitioner, with close involvement of a nursery co-ordinator.

* Information from the current Kindercare prospectus, a copy of which is held at St Andrews.

Officers are welcome to contact the nursery for more information or to arrange a visit. The telephone number is 01423 560875 and the nursery manager is Victoria Taverner.

Admissions Form

If you are thinking of applying to stay at either of the Northern Police Convalescent and Treatment Centres, you can download an Adobe Acrobat (PDF) copy of the Admission Application form from the Admissions page.

Facilities at NPC&TC

This is a summary of our facilities at the NPC&TC condensed onto a single A4 page in Adobe Acrobat format. Useful for printing out and distributing to interested colleagues. Latest Information update

Downloads
There are currently four documents available to download:-

Minutes of the AGM (June 2007)
Copy of the current Annual Report
NPC&TC Business Plan 2008
St George's Police Trust Business Plan 2008

If you require a copy of the full accounts, or a larger print version of any of these documents, please contact Gemma Pettman on 01423 504448.

Meeting room available for hire

The conference room at Castlebrae is available for hire by Police Officers and Staff for work-related meetings.

The meeting room can be hired on a day-rate basis (including refreshments and lunch) or for longer meetings, bed and breakfast accommodation can also be booked.

The conference room at Castlebrae seats 25 theatre style and 16 boardroom style.

Please call 01764 664369 for information on costs.

Back Care at Castlebrae

Police Officers plagued by persistent back pain can participate in an education and exercise-based programme at Castlebrae.

Physiotherapy Co-ordinator Steve Greenall runs the programme. He said, “Put simply the programme is designed to educate people about their backs and teach them how to minimise strain on it in all situations.”

A similar course launched at St Andrews, the treatment centre in Harrogate, in 2006 has received positive feedback from those officers who have taken part so far. Steve Greenall said, “The programme works so well because it offers a holistic approach to health, wellbeing and fitness. Educational workshops run alongside strength and mobility sessions as well as water-based exercise classes.”

On arrival at the centre, patients identified as having persistent back pain are individually assessed by a physiotherapist to ensure their suitability to participate in the programme. As well as a physical assessment, patients give a subjective evaluation of how they feel at that moment in time.

Once the assessments are complete patients are given a timetable of activities designed to rehabilitate them during their two-week stay. Where appropriate, officers also receive individual hands-on treatment or instruction. At the end of two weeks a discharge assessment is carried out to measure progress

Respite Courses

Teams of officers working in difficult or demanding roles may benefit from participating in Respite Courses held at Castlebrae in Auchterarder.

More than three hundred officers from Scotland and the North of England have taken part in the three-day sessions since they were introduced in 2004. The programme aims to support and reward teams of police officers who are identified as having above average workloads in challenging roles such as Firearms or Child Protection, and teach them how to recognise and deal with stress.

During the courses, groups of between six to ten officers take part in relaxation and stress management sessions which are combined with well person checks and complementary therapy sessions such as aromatherapy massage or reflexology. For the duration of their stay they also have full access to leisure facilities including the gym, pool and steam room. As well as the planned activities there is plenty of free time scheduled, which groups have found beneficial to chat with each other and relax away from the working environment.

Paul Grant is the Manager of Castlebrae. He said: “There are officers across the country working with a consistently high workload and extra responsibility over and above their operational role. The courses are not only of great benefit to them as it encourages them to recognise stress but also at a strategic level, the programme sits well with force targets to reduce sickness levels.”

An officer who took part in a recent Respite Course said, “It has been a long time since I have been this relaxed.” Another commented, “I found this course extremely beneficial and am leaving here with a lighter heart than when I arrived.”

Respite Courses take place every month at Castlebrae and forces are asked to make a fixed donation to assist with costs. For more information on the Respite Courses please call 01764 664369.

Cottages available at both centres

Both St Andrews and Castlebrae have large cottages available to officers who need to attend the centres with family members or carers.

Please click here to see pictures of the cottage at St Andrews. Two similar cottages are available at Castlebrae. For more information on the circumstances in which officers are allocated this type of accommodation, please contact NPC&TC.

Board of Trustees

The Northern Police Convalescent and Treatment Centre is governed by a Board of Trustees. The Board comprises serving police officers who represent regions and staff associations.

Physiotherapy Help-Line

Officers who have sustained an injury and wish to obtain help or advice can call the Physiotherapy help-line:

(01423) 851907 Harrogate
(01764) 664369 Auchterarder

The helpline is open Monday to Friday from 9.00 to 9.30am and 4.00 to 4.30pm.

It is also possible to give advice on attending either of our establishments and the best time-scale for such attendance having regard to all material facts.