Police Care UK appoints Renata Gomes as new CEO

 Innovation key focus as police offered pioneering routes to trauma recovery - 

Police Care UK, the leading UK charity supporting police harmed during their service, has today announced the appointment of Renata Gomes as its new CEO, effective 11 March 2024. 

Renata joins from the Blind Veterans UK Group where she was the Chief Scientific Officer. In her early career, Renata was a Volunteer Metropolitan Police Cadet and subsequently trained as a forensic and medical specialist. She brings nearly a decade of experience in military and veterans’ health and wellbeing, as well as expertise in scientific research, health economics and business management. 

Police Care UK Chair, Derek Ray-Hill, said: “We are delighted Renata is joining us as our new CEO. As an independent charity, Police Care UK’s long-term future is in augmenting and innovating solutions to police trauma in a way that government and public services cannot. 

“Renata’s experience in clinical matters, science, entrepreneurship, advocacy, and business management is the ideal combination to deliver this. She will take Police Care UK forward to expand our capabilities and ensure we are at the forefront of combating stress and trauma in policing.” 

Renata’s appointment signals a new chapter for Police Care UK as complex mental health needs related to police trauma are now the biggest area of the charity’s support, with one in five of the police workforce suffering a form of PTSD1. 

Renata Gomes commented: “I feel privileged and honoured to become CEO of Police Care UK. The role comes with great responsibility - police often have lifelong careers and live where they work, so ensuring they have a strong state of health and wellbeing is vital. 

“Over the years my family and I have received fantastic support from the police for which I’m grateful and thankful. Whatever happens in life we know we can turn to the police for help. 

“I want Police Care UK to become the powerhouse for understanding police trauma and restoring lives through evidence-based research and innovation. By doing so, I know we can make fundamental change to the debilitating impact of trauma in policing.” 

Police Care UK has been trialling two ground-breaking pilot schemes for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) recovery with promising results:

• Intensive Trauma Service – the UK’s first and only method of treating Complex PTSD for serving personnel in a residential environment. The pilot has a six-month recovery time and most participants seem able to return to work with zero symptoms. Please visit our ITS Fact Sheet for more details.
• Trauma Impact Prevention Techniques – training for those in service on how to recognise trauma exposure post-incident and when to seek additional support.

For 24/7 immediate crisis assistance police can text BLUELIGHT to 85258. 

For more information please visit www.policecare.org.uk.