Across policing, momentum is building behind a shared ambition: to make forces a better, more sustainable place to work. Last year’s National Police Wellbeing Survey – which saw a record-breaking response rate and local and national action to improve workforce experiences – demonstrated how collective insight can drive meaningful change. We’re building on that progress with a new, improved approach.
For 2026, we are rebranding as the National Police Workforce & Wellbeing Survey, with official launch set for the 1st June. Delivered with Oscar Kilo – The National Police Wellbeing Service, the revised survey is shaped by feedback from forces and will bring sharper insight than ever to the realities officers and staff face every day. Our ambition is for this to be the most comprehensive opportunity yet for forces to understand and improve the lived experience of their people.
4 Improvements in this year’s survey
1. A refined question set that draws out richer insight
The 2026 National Police Workforce & Wellbeing Survey is mostly consistent (to ensure comparable results), with a more focused question set – designed to surface deeper insight on issues that matter most and how these are changing over time. Themes like workload pressures, demand management, leadership, culture and change management have been strengthened to reveal not just what officers and staff feel, but the underlying factors driving those experiences. This will give forces better evidence to support decision-making on the challenges faced by their workforce.
2. Greater visibility on who issues are affecting most
The 2026 National Police Workforce & Wellbeing Survey provides enhanced insight into which groups are experiencing the greatest pressure and where targeted support can have the most positive impact. By lowering the threshold for reporting, the survey makes it easier to pinpoint where wellbeing risks are concentrated – all while protecting confidentiality and ensuring strict anonymity for individual respondents.
3. Improved reporting that brings key messages into focus
The 2026 National Police Workforce & Wellbeing Survey also has a refreshed approach to reporting, making it easier to highlight key insights and help forces target action in response to key trends. For those seeking even richer analytical capability, we’re offering dashboards that provide a more dynamic way to explore trends. These offer additional depth for forces that want it, while keeping the core reporting approach accessible, consistent and actionable for everyone.
4. A growing national effort and the strongest opportunity yet to be part of it
Perhaps the thing we’re most excited for is, with more forces signing up, the 2026 Survey is on track to be the most representative national picture to date. Growing participation means richer benchmarking, greater opportunities to learn, and a shared view of what’s changing cross-policing.
This really is an exciting chance to build the best national workforce and wellbeing evidence base that’s ever been available.
In other words, this refreshed approach is more than just a name change. The National Police Workforce & Wellbeing Survey 2026 offers an opportunity to build an incredibly rich evidence picture and, more importantly, provide insights that lead to action that makes a difference on the frontline.
If you’d like to learn more about the NPWWS or discuss your force’s involvement, contact Annie Haswell.