Association of Chief Police Officers

(A.C.P.O.) North East Regional Mental Health Lead

Deputy Chief Constable of Durham Police

Michael Banks

• Police are commonly a first point of contact for a person in a mental health crisis.

• Every year, 11,000 people are taken to a police station as a ‘place of safety’ under the Mental Health Act.

• Up to 15% of incidents dealt with by police are thought to have some kind of mental health dimension and this is on the increase.

THE NATIONAL CHALLENGE

REGIONAL PICTURE

3 POLICE FORCES: Northumbria, Durham & Cleveland

2 MENTAL HEALTH NHS TRUSTS: - Tees Esk & Wear Valley (TEWV)

- Northumberland,

Tyne & Wear (NTW)

Directly to a police

station?

Under the age of 18 years?

Directly to a health based

Place of Safety?

Under the age of 18

years?

Cleveland 81 0 79 0

Durham 21 1 49 5

Northumbria 9 0 403 4

TOTAL 111 1 531 9

SECTION 136 Detentions1st April to 30th September 2014

MENTAL HEALTH TRUSTS

FIRE & RESCUE SERVICE

VOLUNTARY SECTOR

BRITISH TRANSPORT POLICE

POLICE

AMBULANCESERVICE

HEALTHWATCH

HOSPITALS & HEALTH COMMITTEES

POLICE & CRIME COMMISSIONERS

CLINICAL COMMISSIONING GROUPS

LOCAL AUTHORITES

SHARED CHALLENGES• S136 Demand upon Police resources - Places of Safety, staffed for earliest care of patient

• Transport of patients, Parity of Esteem - Availability & Timeliness of Ambulance Service

• Early Interventions to prevent Crisis- YOUNG PEOPLE’s access to services and more pro-active

support for ADULTS; earliest recognition of need

• Dual Diagnosis- Substance misuse; whose patient

when and where?

WORK IN PROGRESS• Tele-Triage

• Street Triage

• Early Alert Suicide Pilot

• Liaison & Diversion Services in Police Custody and some Courts

• CAMHS in Custody – Helping Young People

• Improving Police recording/data collection

• Training & awareness ongoing

(M/Agency delivery)

TRULY INTEGRATED PARTNERSHIP WORKING BEYOND SIGNING DECLARATIONS AND ACTION PLANS.

ACTUAL DELIVERY of SERVICES in ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONCORDAT and OUR COMMITMENT to PARITY OF ESTEEM for all PATIENT CARE throughclear channels of ACCOUNTABILITY and LOCAL GOVERNANCE.

DOING THE RIGHT THING!