New partnership between Derbyshire police and NHS for mental health emergencies

The new partnership is aiming to improve the way people in mental health crisis are treated in emergency situations.

The scheme will see police officers and trained mental health professionals deployed to incidents where it is felt that someone may need immediate mental health support.

Fiona White, project lead for adult acute assessment services at Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, explained that often when someone presents a risk of harming themselves or others they are detained under the Mental Health Act and then undergo an assessment at a hospital unit.

This new triage approach will allow for dynamic assessments reducing the need to detain people.

Fiona added: “The street triage mental health practitioners can make an appropriate referral into the healthcare service that is needed, in collaboration with the team at Derbyshire Mental Health Helpline and Support Service.

“Research has shown that the time between 4pm and midnight is when the majority of Section 136 Detentions take place. We are excited to be working with the police to provide the right care for Derbyshire people who are in crisis or distress during these hours. Although parts of Derbyshire have had schemes like this before, this will be the first time that the whole of Derbyshire will benefit from a fully operational street triage service.”

The service has been introduced following a successful trial last year. The triage cars will operate from 4pm until midnight, seven days a week, with one car allocated to the north of the county and one to the south.

The team, who will be in constant contact with Derbyshire Mental Health Helpline and Support service, and police control room, will attend mental health-related incidents and provide on-scene assessments.

Chief Inspector Glenn Hoggard, who is the mental health lead for the force said: “The feedback from the trial we ran last year was overwhelmingly positive.

“The number of calls made to the police often involve a mental health element and in many cases the police are not the most appropriate agency to be leading on the response.

“The introduction of this triage service will ensure that response officers can return to other calls for service and are not tied up for hours dealing with an incident.”