Metropolitan Police planning to stop responding to some mental health calls

[Daisy]

This item in the news caught my eye.

From September the Met will only respond to mental health 999 calls if there is an immediate threat to life. (I don't know how they differentiate one incident from another though.) They are saying it will free up police because the number of mental health calls they have handled has increased in the last 5 years. The increase in calls sounds like a perfect storm, with problems in the NHS, and increased demand on Social Services plus the increase in people needing mental health support over the last 3 years.

I'm sure other Police forces round the country will be watching and thinking about their own resources. The Chair of the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS mental health trust says mental health services are "creaking" and cannot meet the needs of people who most need it.

It made me think of Oma's neighbour, who has had numerous 'episodes' where the Police have been called to help her and I can't help wondering what will happen to people like her when they hit a crisis. It seems to me that we need a dedicated support service for people living with mental health problems including emergency support and ongoing care whether in hospital, in the community or dedicated residential help.

[Oma]

I agree Daisy and yes when my neighbour has episodes it’s been known for up to 4 officers coming out and being there for several hours , not just a half hour or so it can be up to 4-6 hours depending how long it takes for social workers and the mental health team to come out plus needs two Drs to section her .
We have seen Ambulances waiting for hours to take her away .
One occasion I remember a few years ago when the social workers did a 12 hour shift till they were able to get her into Hospital .

Every time she has had to be either held down to sedate her or have restraints put on her , even a Tazer was pointed at her the last time she was unwell .

What will happen if that police presence is taken away , it’s a scary thought but I can see the other side where when police are called to situations like this and officers are tied up when they are already short staffed what do they prioritise first .

[Nanto2girls]

I heard about this on the news this morning.
Another thing they won't be responding to.

[Daisy]

What will happen if that police presence is taken away , it’s a scary thought but I can see the other side where when police are called to situations like this and officers are tied up when they are already short staffed what do they prioritise first .

Oma, I've always wondered why the police are called to people like your neighbour who need medical help - they're not breaking the law as such, and as you say, several police can be involved for many hours (to say nothing of ambulances). This is why I think we need a wide-ranging Emergency Mental Health team with powers to Section, restrain if necessary for the patient's safety, and medicate in certain situations. They also need the facilities to treat patients for their own safety during a crisis. I know all this would be expensive, but when you look at the current situation which doesn't really work for anybody, it must surely be worth it.

[Mimi]

I agree with Oma but as the police cut back on their backup in situations that they attend to at the moment its going to leave a huge gap of any support at all
In an ideal world we need a fully qualified and professional service that will be able to respond to situations where mental health support is required, not criminal issues that aren't relevant at times like this .
The police aren't trained for complex mental health issues and its a waste of their resources.
In layman's terms we need a plan B which isn't going to happen as the government will say there isn't any money to fund a much needed mental health support team and we all know what will happen, the person or persons struggling will find themselves at the lowest possible point and they will either harm themselves or someone else which will end up with them being arrested which will hand the situation back into the hands of the police, exactly what they are hoping to avoid.

[Oma]

Your right Mimi , my neighbour in times of crisis has drove into a tree just to see what it feels like , another time she got behind her mothers car with hers and tried to ram her off the road going around a roundabout . A criminal offence so police would have had to take over if the outcome had been serious . It’s so difficult . Police as you say are not trained in mental health but are expected to cope with it .

[Gemini]

I don't know what the answer is, but there is obviously great need and cutting back on police response with no replacement service isn't it.

[Daisy]

Mimi has put the case for a dedicated mental health support service very well. If we can see this, why can't 'they'! I guess the answer begins with M and ends in Y.