SunLive – Balancing the elements for mental health answers

Health in New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora and the Ministry of Health – Manatū Hauora are working with the Police to change some of the ways in which organizations respond to mental health.

The change will see a health-led response, supporting the Police to focus on core Police.

As health organizations, our interest is to improve access to mental health services for people who need them in a timely manner, while ensuring the health and safety needs of our employees, patients and their whānau continue to be satisfied.

It’s all about finding the right balance.

The police will continue to respond – as they do – to mental health incidents that pose an immediate threat to life and safety, to keep members of the public and our staff safe.

There will be times, however, when a life-directed response is more desirable. For example, the potential stigma for a desperate person waiting in the ED for a mental health evaluation can be exacerbated if they are accompanied by the Police.

The change program will introduce increased opportunities for Police responding to other mental health incidents from November, with further changes announced in three phases over the next 12 months.

Ensuring that transition is managed safely for people who need mental health services, our staff and the community is a priority for Health NZ, the Ministry and the Police.

The three agencies are committed to working together to ensure that any potential problems are identified and resolved before final decisions are made to implement each step.

Health NZ works with medical professionals, ED representatives, health and safety experts, security staff and others to put a robust action plan in place.

One of the issues we will need to address as part of our transition plan is the shortage of mental health workers.

The one-year transition program announced today is part of a broader five-year transition plan that is moving toward a multi-agency response to 111 calls, independent of the lead model. first the Police.

The plan includes several measures, such as improving the response of telephone services, peer support for triage in EDs, and continuous improvement of safety in the ED and hospital areas in general.

The one-year transformation program announced today is in line with this long-term plan.

More details on the health-led aspects of this reform plan will be available in the coming months.

Police announce phased plan to reduce services to mental health needs

The police will introduce new, higher levels of access to mental health facilities, and the changes will be implemented from November 2024 and completed by September 2025.

Police Commissioner Andrew Coster. File Photo.

Police Commissioner Andrew Coster today announced a reform program to begin reducing police services for mental health services, to relieve pressure on demand.

The Police have officially notified Health New Zealand authorities and stakeholders that the higher thresholds will ensure that the Police prioritize incidents where there is an immediate risk to life and safety.

Incidents that fall short of that limit will not be logged by the Police, but will be directed to more appropriate services.

The police are committed to supporting Health New Zealand, so the transition happens safely and without unintended consequences.

We agree and want a system that supports everyone’s mental health, so people are supported to stay healthy, and get the help that works for them, from the right person at the right time correct.

As Health New Zealand, we care about our health professionals and the important work they do for our community.

It’s important to us that they feel safe, which is why we’re committed to making changes gradually over time – starting with reducing the time we spend in emergency departments.

“It is important to make it clear that the Police will still go to any job where there is an immediate risk to life or safety – that has not changed,” said Commissioner Coster.

“It is well documented that the need for mental health is increasing and our challenges in meeting this need continue to affect our ability to serve other needs in our community.

“Mental health needs accounted for 11 per cent of calls to our Emergency Communications Center in the year to May 2024.

“Police receive one mental health-related call every seven minutes, taking up almost half a million hours of front-line police time a year.

“Of those incidents, only five percent had a criminal element and 11% of calls were coded P1 and given a primary response.

“It has been clear to me for some time, that this is unsustainable and prevents us from keeping other public spaces safe.

“It affects our ability to provide basic policing services.

“As well as affecting our frontline, it also causes problems for Emergency Services – meaning they cannot always respond to every call in a timely manner.

“To help reduce the high demand on the Police, we will be reducing Police resources to mental health incidents where there is no crime or significant risk involved.

“The change program will be rolled out in four stages starting in November this year when the Police will introduce a high risk threshold before having staff respond to requests for mental health transport, or to mental health centres. the beauty of the mind.

“In January next year, Police personnel will provide relief and Health workers, then leave after one hour unless there is a risk to life or safety.

“Eventually this will be reduced to 15 minutes later in the year.

“Also from next year, we are tightening the rules around our custody suits, which we don’t believe are appropriate for conducting mental health tests.

“Another area that has increased our demand is the lower threshold for seeking people who are reported to be absent from mental health facilities.

“We will need to work with health organizations to manage this effectively with high thresholds.

“We anticipate that there will be other areas where we can better control our response to mental health calls, and we will be exploring those areas as we continue this work.

“We want those with depression to get the right help at the right time from the right people.

They do not always want or need a Police car to come or for the Police to stay with them for many hours in the emergency department, adding to the stigma of an already very difficult time.

“Immediately, there will be no changes, and we will continue to respond to mental health issues as we always have.

The changes will be gradual as we want to support our healthcare partners by giving them time to adapt. ”

Phase 1: 1 November
• Volunteering in emergency departments – Police will reduce the number of volunteers who want to undergo a voluntary mental health evaluation.

Once it is transferred to the Health officials, the police will leave immediately.
• Mental Health transport requests – will be subject to a high threshold before the Police will agree to be involved.
• Police presence in mental health facilities – will also be high.

Phase 2: January to March 2025
• 60 minutes to provide ED – Police who have taken a person detained under the Mental Health Act for examination will stay for 1 hour before leaving unless they think there is an immediate danger life or safety.
• Mental health care regulations enforced – Police do not consider suites to be an appropriate place for mental health tests to be administered.

Applause laws will ensure that people in distress are not unnecessarily screened in police custody.

Phase 3: April to June 2025
• Requests for help from health professionals – Our new limit will ensure that Police are not unnecessarily diverted to mental health work by doctors.
• Missing Mental Health Patients – Most missing person reports filed in mental health facilities and wards generate a faster response than other missing person reports.

The Police will work with organizations to develop a more appropriate model for managing these situations, including the Police not being the first to search for missing persons.

Phase 4: July to September 2025
• 15-minute ED referral – Where the police arrest a person under the Mental Health Act and take them to the ED for a mental health assessment, a referral process between the Police and Health staff Good will happen, and Police personnel will leave after 15 minutes, unless they think there is an immediate threat to life or safety.
• Social and agency welfare checks – Police have been passing by in response to welfare checks where there is no risk of crime or life or safety.

“We are committed to reducing the need for front-line workers but we know the issues are complex, so we will continue to consult with the unions before making any final decisions.”