Sam plans to put focus on wellbeing

12 January 2022

Sam Hughes plans to put officer wellbeing at the heart of everything she does in her new role as West Midlands Police Federation deputy chair.

Sam, who has already launched a Federation booklet aimed at helping officers and staff facing a diagnosis of cancer or other serious illnesses, is aiming to visit as many police stations and departments as possible to help improve the visibility of Federation branch officials and also encourage members to talk about their concerns.

“When I returned to work in 2018 after treatment for breast cancer, I decided to become a Federation workplace representative and wanted to share my experiences to help others,” she explains.

“I enjoy helping people and offering support and, with a career that has included working in the domestic violence unit, response and neighbourhood policing and public order, I can relate to the issues officers are facing.

“This new Federation role is a complete change for me but I believe I bring a fresh pair of eyes to the Federation branch and I am determined to make a difference to members.

“I will be getting out to police stations so that people can put a face to a name and I really want to encourage officers to talk to me about the issues they are facing and how they feel the Federation can help more.

“I really want to put a firm focus on officer wellbeing to see what more we could be doing to support officers. More and more officers are feeling more comfortable sharing their experiences of struggling with their mental health and I want to look at what else we might be able to offer by way of helping them more.”

Sam is going to talk to wellbeing leads at other Federation branches around the country to see if there are initiatives that could be duplicated in the West Midlands.

In addition to taking on the wellbeing portfolio, Sam’s role involves supporting branch chair, Rich Cooke.

“I am really looking forward to getting to grips with this new position and believe I can offer some ideas that will really benefit the membership,” says Sam.

“I would like to encourage any members who have ideas for how we could improve what the Federation offers to get in touch with me and also to let me know if they want me to call in at their station or department.”

Sam can be contacted at Samantha.hughes@polfed.org