Mental health call-outs: concern at plan to reduce police role
Posted 23 August 2023 - 06:59
Overstretched nurses could be left to plug gaps in services as police press ahead with plan to limit officers’ attendance at mental heath call-outs in London
The decision to cut police support at mental health calls-outs is extremely worrying for service users and nurses, a mental health leader has warned.
Right Care, Right Person policy could put pressure on nurses to plug gaps
London's Metropolitan Police has confirmed they will stop officer attendances to mental health call-outs from 31 October. Under a new programme – known as Right Care, Right Person – police will only attend incidents where there is a risk to life or risk of serious harm. The policy aims to save the police one million hours and stop the ‘over-policing’ of mental health. According to the Guardian newspaper, some NHS staff in London have already received a guidance letter on what it will mean for them.
It reads: ‘In practice, this means that police call handlers will receive a new prompt relating to welfare checks or when a patient goes absent from health partner inpatient care. The prompt will ask call handlers to check that a police response is required or whether the person’s needs may be better met by a health or care professional.’
However, it is not clear how the NHS in London plans to respond and there are fears the move could affect service user safety as community and mental health nursing teams and paramedics are left to plug the gaps.
Police decision coincides with staffing crisis in mental health services
The decision comes at a time when mental health services are in crisis, with the NHS’s own long-term workforce plan projecting a shortfall of almost 16,000 mental health nurses by 2036.
Unite’s lead for mental health Dave Munday told Nursing Standard the decision to cut police support without plans to increase availability of mental health services is of ‘extreme concern’.
He added: ‘If local police forces are currently having to step in due to a distinct lack of other services, refusing to do this in the near future will not mean these other services suddenly appear. This is evidenced by the recent NHS workforce plan and its clarity on how long it will take to adequately resource mental health settings.
‘Yet again, people with a mental health illness are caught in the middle in a society that has deprioritised their needs due to austerity cuts that have taken away the health, social and policing support that they should be able to rely on and at times so desperately need.’
NHS London says it is collaborating with ‘partner agencies’ to ensure ‘best outcomes’ for service users
The Met said its priority is to implement the policy ‘safely and effectively’.
An NHS London spokesperson said: ‘We continue to work closely with colleagues from across the NHS, London Ambulance Service, local authorities, and the Metropolitan Police to develop a clear implementation plan for Right Care, Right Person.
‘Our priority across all partner agencies is to ensure the mental health needs of all our communities are delivered in a measured, comprehensive and cohesive way to ensure the best experience and outcomes for people using mental health services in London.’
In other news
- Lucy Letby: police praise nurses who testified in murder trial
- NHS mileage allowances deter nurses from taking community roles
- Lucy Letby given whole-life prison sentence