Ministers should direct police forces in England to continue attending mental health calls until more funding is available for the NHS to close the gap or risk further deaths, a charity has urged.
Rethink Mental Illness has written to the Home Secretary and Health Ministers asking them to immediately pause the ‘right-care-right-person’ programme, which will allow police to step back from responding to mental health calls, after ‘a series of tragic deaths’ linked to the change.
The aim of the plan is to prevent officers from being distracted from crime fighting to do work for which health care workers are better trained. Yet Rethink says health and social care services need a further £260 million in funding to fill the gap left by the police. , as well as clear lines of supervision and responsibility.
Mark Winstanley, the CEO of Rethink Mental Illness, said: “A mental health crisis is an emergency, and plans put in place on paper must work effectively in a person’s time of need. Every second counts in a mental health crisis, so it is crucial that the process runs smoothly and that the most appropriate, trained professional can arrive quickly to reduce any risk to life.
“We all agree that in most cases the police are not the best agency to support people in serious mental distress. And we believe the Right Care, Right Person program has a future, provided it is rolled out carefully.
“But as we monitor the initial impact, we are increasingly concerned that the armed forces have stepped back too quickly, without sufficient checks and balances in place alongside the resources needed to close the gap. ”
Rethink, which works with people with serious mental illness, is hearing anecdotal concerns from the people it supports about the way calls are assessed and the varying rates and quality of local implementation.
This month, Norfolk Police suspended the launch of the scheme following the deaths of four family members. Ambulance chiefs have recently warned that patients and paramedics have suffered harm, while coroners have cited the plan to prevent future death reports.
A government spokesperson said: “The Right Care, Right Person approach ensures that people with health or social care needs are helped by the right person, with the right skills, training and experience to meet their needs. When a crime needs to be investigated or there is a need to protect people from a real and imminent risk of harm, police officers will remain present.
“Police are working closely with local health and social care partners to ensure this new approach is rolled out when it is safe to do so. The force is also supported by a dedicated National Police Chiefs Council team and a comprehensive guidance toolkit.”