The Chronicle (South Tyneside and Durham)
Action on mental health call-outs
NORTHUMBRIA Police is working with the NHS in the North East to ensure mental health call-outs are directed to the best possible support.
The “Right Care Right Person” approach is being rolled out nationally across police forces. It has seen numerous forces confirm they will no longer routinely attend mental health callouts where there is not a risk to life or of a crime being committed. In Northumbria’s force area, this has been in place in a pilot form since December.
Backed by the NHS’S North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board, the change saw more than 300 calls rerouted to other agencies – including the ambulance service, NHS hospital trusts, social services and even schools. Thus far, the NHS says it does not believe this policy has led to any individual coming to harm.
In our region, the plan has been implemented with assistance from charity Everyturn, with specialist staff working in police control rooms to support those calling who may be in a mental health crisis.
The plan is being backed and supported jointly by the NHS and the police, with funding from the Police and Crime Commissioner’s office supporting the Everyturn pilot.
So far, data shared by NHS ICB chief executive Samantha Allen shows 378 calls were redirected to other services in December. Of those 144 were passed on to the North East Ambulance Service, 58 to acute hospitals, 55 to a mental health service, 37 to other health services and 35 to schools.
In a report to the ICB, Ms Allen said: “[The policy] recognises the police are not always the best service to help someone who is in crisis and aims to ensure that people receive the most appropriate and beneficial care for their needs.
“While some mental health incidents require police attendance many involve no safety risk or crime. Right Care, Right Person aims to ensure that people receive support from the right person, with the skills, training, and experience to meet their needs.”
Northumbria Police Assistant Chief Constable Deb Alderson said: “Keeping people safe is at the heart of what we do at Northumbria Police. Where there is a real and immediate risk to life, or a crime has been committed, officers will respond as swiftly as they currently do.
“However, where there is a health or social care issue, we want the most appropriate people to attend and provide the best help and that comes from health and social care professionals, not police officers.”
Police & Crime Commissioner Kim Mcguinness backed the move and said the rise in mental health incidents in recent years had been a major cause for concern.
She said: “Our police are often the first port of call when people are in crisis and we have seen mental health-related incidents in the Northumbria Police Force area have increased by 152% in recent years – a real concern.
“Not only does this place extra demand on our officers who need to be out there fighting crime, we have to recognise that the police are not always the best service to help someone who is in a mental health crisis and the Right Person Right Care model is about jointly making sure we get the response right.”
Darren Best, the chair of the Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Trust – and a former Deputy Chief Constable who worked at Northumbria and Cleveland police forces – said he was cautious but positive about the policy.
He said: “What’s most important for me locally is that we do work very closely with our local police forces.
“I absolutely get the view that that’s been highlighted by the police around their use of their resources – so my position is that overall I think it’s the right thing to do, but it needs to be done carefully.”