A new scheme to free up police time and provide a joined-up response to people with mental health problems has been launched in North Staffordshire this week.
The Community Triage pilot is being funded by Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Ellis as part of ongoing work by Staffordshire Police and North Staffordshire NHS to stop criminalising people who are mentally ill.
Mental health professionals are on hand to give advice to police officers dealing with people in crisis who may have underlying mental health problems.
The professionals are available from 2pm to 2am seven days a week, identified as a peak time for police incidents linked to mental illness, and are also able to give face to face assessments. The pilot will run for nine months in Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire.
Police officers responded to 15,000 incidents in Staffordshire last year involving people with mental health issues, many of which could have been dealt with by more appropriate agencies.
Commissioned by Mr Ellis, The Staffordshire Report highlighted the scale of the problem including how much time officers spend dealing with mental health issues and the significant impact this has on operational policing. It led to a call for action by the PCC for the NHS, local authorities and other partner agencies to get together and change a system which too often leads to the criminalisation of vulnerable people.
Mr Ellis said: “We need to get a system that stops people with mental health problems being locked up in cells and find an appropriate alternative. This scheme is a direct result of the challenge I set out for all services involved to sort this out and come up with plans for Staffordshire.”
Chief Constable of Staffordshire Police, Mike Cunningham, said: “In just twenty-four hours since the system was launched, I’ve seen two examples where officers, with the help of the triage team, have been able to take care of people with mental health issues in the best way. They’ve also done this in a much shorter timeframe which means that care is given quicker and officers are available to deal with other incidents.”
“We’re committed to working with partners to protect the most vulnerable people in Staffordshire and all agencies need to work together to make sure that people with mental health issues are given the most appropriate care at a time when they need support.
“This scheme has been launched as part of our ongoing work with our partners and I welcome the Commissioner’s support.”
Mr Ellis continued: “I am funding this for the length of the pilot and expect the NHS to work with the police and others to understand the benefits of it. It will lead to savings in police time as it will mean people are given the support they need at the earliest point rather than having to go through the criminal justice system.”
Julie Elden, Criminal Justice Team Manager, from North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare Trust added: “We have worked closely with Staffordshire Police over the past 12 months to develop this pilot scheme.
“By working directly with the Police, our Community Psychiatric Nurses will be able to work directly with frontline officers and provide support in response to calls from members of the public who are mentally unwell and are a potential risk to their own or others health and wellbeing.
“The Community Psychiatric Nurses will support officers on calls during a busy 12-hour period from 2am to 2pm. The project will enable Community Psychiatric Nurses to support Police Officers respond to calls more effectively from individuals in the community, who are mentally unwell, to support them to receive the care and treatment they require.”
