What we examined (see Focus of the audit)

In May 2014, the Royal Canadian Mounted PoliceRCMP took the important step of introducing its five-year Mental Health Strategy to contribute to a psychologically healthy and safe workplace, and to provide greater support to its employees. The strategy defined mental health as “a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her own community.”

This audit focused on whether RCMP members had access to mental health support that met their needs. We examined selected mental health programs and services that supported the following two key areas of the RCMP’s 2014–2019 Mental Health Strategy; early detection and intervention, and continuous improvement.

Why we did this audit

This audit is important because poor mental health has a direct impact on the well-being of members, their colleagues, and their families. Left unmanaged and unsupported, mental health issues can lead to increased absenteeism, workplace conflict, high turnover, low productivity, and increased use of disability and health benefits. Ultimately, members’ poor mental health affects the RCMP’s capacity to serve and protect Canadians.

What we concluded

We concluded that overall, members of the RCMP did not have access to mental health support that met their needs. The RCMP took the important step of introducing a mental health strategy. However, it failed to make implementation of the selected mental health programs and services a priority, and it did not commit the necessary resources to support them. The RCMP is into the third year of the strategy and has the opportunity to make the necessary improvements to ensure its successful implementation by 2019.

What we found

Meeting members’ mental health needs

Overall, we found that the RCMP did not adequately meet its members’ mental health needs. The RCMP was one of the first federal government organizations to introduce a mental health strategy. However, it did not make the strategy’s implementation a priority or commit the human and financial resources needed for the strategy’s full and effective implementation. We found that new mental health programs to support early detection and intervention were only partially implemented, and that the RCMP did not allocate budgets to support them. We also found that while 57 percent of members received easy and timely access to the mental health support they needed, one in six members (16 percent) did not. For 27 percent of cases examined, the RCMP did not have records that would allow us to assess whether members received the help they needed when they needed it. Finally, we found that members’ supervisors and health services staff did not fulfill their roles in supporting members who were returning to work from mental health sick leave. One in five members who sought mental health support from a health services office did not return to work or was discharged.

These findings matter because the RCMP is only as strong as its members. If the organization does not effectively manage members’ mental health and fulfill its responsibilities to support their return to work, members struggle to carry out their duties, their confidence in the RCMP may be undermined, and the RCMP’s effectiveness may be reduced.

• The RCMP did not adequately fund new programs for early detection and intervention, and implementation was delayed and inconsistent

  Recommendation. The RCMP should support the full implementation of the programs and services that support its 2014–2019 Mental Health Strategy by preparing a business plan to guide the final two years of implementation.

• The RCMP’s health services offices did not facilitate timely access to mental health treatment for all members or provide services consistently

  Recommendation. The RCMP should ensure that all health services staff apply policies and procedures consistently. The RCMP should also consider adopting:

  • national standards for health services delivery, and
  • best practices from across divisions and from other organizations.

• The RCMP did not effectively support its members on off-duty sick leave or adequately accommodate their return to work

  Recommendation. The RCMP should ensure that officials responsible for disability case management carry out this responsibility effectively. Specifically, the RCMP should ensure that:

  • all officials responsible for disability case management have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities, and that they fulfill them; and
  • the required number of disability management advisers are hired and trained.

  Recommendation. The RCMP should assess how well managers and supervisors support and respond to the mental health of their employees and should include these assessments in their performance reviews. For managers and supervisors who are eligible for performance pay, the RCMP should consider linking it to how well they have fulfilled their roles and responsibilities related to disability case management, return-to-work accommodation, and the support of members’ mental health more broadly.

Monitoring and improving mental health support

Overall, we found that the RCMP did not develop performance measures to evaluate its Mental Health Strategy and ensure that it was working as intended to support members’ needs. The organization did not have a quality assurance framework or monitor its activities to support continuous improvement. As a result, the RCMP did not systematically collect or report any information on the results of the programs and services designed to support the strategy.

These findings matter because the RCMP must know whether the programs and services in place are: meeting members’ needs, providing value for money, and reducing the negative personal and organizational impacts of members’ poor mental health.

• The RCMP did not measure whether programs and services to support its Mental Health Strategy were working as intended

  Recommendation. The RCMP should develop and implement a performance measurement and monitoring framework in a timely manner to know whether it is achieving the Mental Health Strategy’s objectives. The framework should include performance indicators and specify responsibilities for collecting, maintaining, analyzing, and reporting on performance information that is of good quality. The information should be used to continuously improve and plan for future mental health programs and services. These actions would better position the RCMP to address members’ mental health needs.

  Recommendation. The RCMP should develop and implement a quality measurement and monitoring framework in a timely manner to measure whether the mental health services provided by treatment providers are meeting members’ needs. The framework should include client satisfaction surveys and quality management indicators. It should also specify responsibilities for collecting, maintaining, analyzing, and reporting on the indicators. The information should be used to continuously improve and plan for future mental health programs and services to help ensure that members’ mental health needs are addressed.

  Recommendation. The RCMP should move forward in a timely manner with its plan to put in place a national integrated case management tool to better monitor and manage members’ cases, including their mental health outcomes.

Entity Responses to Recommendations

The audited entity agrees with our recommendations, and has responded (see List of Recommendations).

Related Information

For more information

Media Relations
Telephone.: 1-888-761-5953
E-mail: infomedia@oag-bvg.gc.ca

Twitter: OAG_BVG