21.08.13
Police triage scheme extended
A street triage scheme will be extended to five new police forces, the DH has announced. Mental health nurses will accompany officers to incidents where police believe people need immediate medical attention.
Initial reports from trials in Leicestershire indicate it can help keep people out of custodial settings. The nurses support police out on patrol, give advice and help respond to emergency calls.
The new police forces to implement the street triage scheme will be the Metropolitan Police, British Transport Police, West Yorkshire Police, West Midlands Police, and the Thames Valley Police.
Care minister Norman Lamb said: “Making sure people with mental health problems get the right assessment, care and treatment they need as quickly as possible is really important, especially in emergency situations.
“We know that some police forces are already doing an extremely good job of handling circumstances involving mentally ill people but we want this to be the reality everywhere. By providing police forces with the support of health professionals we can give officers the skills they need to treat vulnerable people appropriately in times of crisis.
“We have already seen encouraging results from the other pilot sites and I am excited that these five additional police forces are trialling this important scheme.”
Criminal justice minister Damian Green said: “These pilots will help ensure people with serious mental health issues are given the appropriate care and support, while ensuring police officers’ time is freed up to fight crime.
“They also show the good partnership work going on between health services and the police to ensure people with mental health issues are dealt with by the right emergency service.”
Director of Nursing at the Department of Health, Vivienne Bennett, said: “Nurses play an invaluable role in helping people with mental health problems and these new street triage pilots will make sure that people get the help and assessments they need as quickly as possible in times of crisis.
“By doing this it ensures people needing assistance are in the right environment and have access to better treatment and care. This is a great example of collaborative working and better integration of services.”
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