Only when there is a "immediate threat to life" will the London police respond to 999 calls related to mental health.
Last week, Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley wrote to health and social care providers, according to the Guardian.
However, the CEO of the mental health organization Mind has voiced "major concerns" about the idea.
...In the last five years, police forces across the United Kingdom have experienced a considerable increase in the number of mental health situations they have dealt with.
Some police chiefs feel the increase is due to police becoming the first port of call for persons in crisis, as well as a lack of community ability to cope with rising mental health needs.
According to the Guardian, the Met is attempting to "redress the imbalance of responsibility," which frequently finds police officers "left delivering health responsibilities."
A mental health incident is defined by the College of Policing as "any police incident thought to relate to someone's mental health where their vulnerability is at the center of the incident." And it is believed that police officers spend 20-40% of their time dealing with similar events.
Humberside Police, which implemented the Right Care, Right Person (RCRP) system in 2020 to guarantee mental health calls are handled by mental health experts, has already accepted the Met's new approach.
According to a Metropolitan Police spokeswoman, the RCRP program has been "hugely successful in improving outcomes, reducing demand on all services, and, most importantly, ensuring that the right care is being delivered by the right person."
"Police officers are compassionate and skilled, but they are not trained to provide mental health care and spend an average of 10 hours with a patient when sectioned under the Mental Health Act."
"In London alone, between 500-600 times per month, officers are waiting for this length of time to hand over patients, and it cannot continue," they warned.
According to one police officer who requested anonymity, "frontline cops try not to use the powers we have because it takes us off the streets when we should be answering 999 calls."
The officer said that under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act, police officers had the authority to "remove someone to a place of safety."
However, problems occur because "when no one is available to assess them at the hospital, we cannot simply leave them."
In January, the government pledged a £150 million capital investment to enhance facilities and spaces throughout the NHS for persons experiencing or at risk of experiencing a mental health crisis.
It stated that the cash will enable for the purchase of up to 90 new mental health ambulances, which will transport professional workers straight to patients to provide care on the spot or transfer them to the most appropriate facility for care.
source(BBC)
Last week, Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley wrote to health and social care providers, according to the Guardian.
However, the CEO of the mental health organization Mind has voiced "major concerns" about the idea.
...In the last five years, police forces across the United Kingdom have experienced a considerable increase in the number of mental health situations they have dealt with.
Some police chiefs feel the increase is due to police becoming the first port of call for persons in crisis, as well as a lack of community ability to cope with rising mental health needs.
According to the Guardian, the Met is attempting to "redress the imbalance of responsibility," which frequently finds police officers "left delivering health responsibilities."
A mental health incident is defined by the College of Policing as "any police incident thought to relate to someone's mental health where their vulnerability is at the center of the incident." And it is believed that police officers spend 20-40% of their time dealing with similar events.
Humberside Police, which implemented the Right Care, Right Person (RCRP) system in 2020 to guarantee mental health calls are handled by mental health experts, has already accepted the Met's new approach.
According to a Metropolitan Police spokeswoman, the RCRP program has been "hugely successful in improving outcomes, reducing demand on all services, and, most importantly, ensuring that the right care is being delivered by the right person."
"Police officers are compassionate and skilled, but they are not trained to provide mental health care and spend an average of 10 hours with a patient when sectioned under the Mental Health Act."
"In London alone, between 500-600 times per month, officers are waiting for this length of time to hand over patients, and it cannot continue," they warned.
According to one police officer who requested anonymity, "frontline cops try not to use the powers we have because it takes us off the streets when we should be answering 999 calls."
The officer said that under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act, police officers had the authority to "remove someone to a place of safety."
However, problems occur because "when no one is available to assess them at the hospital, we cannot simply leave them."
In January, the government pledged a £150 million capital investment to enhance facilities and spaces throughout the NHS for persons experiencing or at risk of experiencing a mental health crisis.
It stated that the cash will enable for the purchase of up to 90 new mental health ambulances, which will transport professional workers straight to patients to provide care on the spot or transfer them to the most appropriate facility for care.
source(BBC)
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