Mental health nurses to patrol streets of North Yorkshire with police
The county is one of four revealed by Care and Support
12:00am Thursday 27th June 2013 in News By Matt Westcott
MENTAL health nurses will patrol the streets with police officers as part of a pilot initiative in North Yorkshire.
The county is one of four revealed by Care and Support Minister Norman Lamb today and will see the nurses sent to incidents where police believe people need immediate mental health support.
Street triage services already operate in neighbouring Cleveland and have shown good results.
Funded by the Department of Health and backed by the Home Office, the initiative has been welcomed by North Yorkshires Police and Crime Commissioner, Julia Mulligan.
“It is vitally important that people with mental health problems receive the very best care and support when they come into contact with the police in North Yorkshire and the City of York,” she said.
“I am actively working with partners in the NHS and the Department of Health to ensure our policing area provides ‘Places of Safety’ for people who are arrested under the Mental Health Act for their own safety. Being held in a police cell while awaiting specialist medical assistance is simply not acceptable.”
North Yorkshire Chief Constable, Dave Jones, said: “We recognise that more can – and should – be done to improve the all-round service for people with mental health issues who find themselves in contact with the police.
“This is reflected in the ongoing efforts in North Yorkshire and the City of York to provide ‘places of safety’ away from police cells.
“By having mental health professionals working directly alongside our officers, this will help to ensure the most appropriate assistance and treatment is available at the earliest opportunity.”
