MENTAL health nurses based in the Constabulary’s Force Control Room provided advice on nearly 9,000 incidents in a single year, ensuring people in crisis got the right service at the right time.
Funded by Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner, Jason Ablewhite, the specialist nurses who make up the Integrated Mental Health Team (IMHT) offer frontline officers instant support in dealing with people in mental health crisis.
In 2018/19, the team were involved in 8,894 calls, up from 7,123 incidents in the previous 12 months. That’s an average increase of 147 additional calls per month.
The Commissioner met one of the nurses, provided by Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT), yesterday and heard first-hand about some of the incidents the nurses have provided support on.
Speaking in a video, the Commissioner said: "[The IMHT] provide the most amazing support to officers on the frontline, giving them advice and help they wouldn't otherwise have when dealing, increasingly, with people in mental health crisis. It was staggering to see over the last year they have dealt with almost 9,000 incidents where they have given advice to officers and members of the public, and talking to police officers on the front line they find the help and support invaluable.
"We know mental health is a big issue, and its a big issue in policing especially, and that's why I will continue to support the integrated team here and ensure we get the very best possible outcomes for people who are in crisis".
The IMHT has been recognised by the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) as an integral part of first response work as part of the wider system response to mental health crisis care.
