Wiltshire Police to launch new operating model to deal with health related calls
The Right Care, Right Person initiative will launch in Wiltshire from 8th April
A national policing initiative aimed at getting people the right support from the right agency is being rolled out in Wiltshire from early April.
The 'Right Care, Right Person' (RCRP) scheme was originally launched in 2019 by Humberside Police, after a rise in health related calls that weren't a core part of policing responsibilities.
Ministers have signed a national partnership agreement for the initiative to be rolled out across the country.
The initiative will see Wiltshire Police work closely with it's partners to ensure welfare concerns are dealt with by people who have the necessary expertise.
Temporary Chief Superintendent, Force Operations and the Crime and Communications Centre, David Minty told Greatest Hits Radio: “The focus is making sure that vulnerable individuals in our community get absolutely the right help that they need.
"Often people will phone policing and over a period of time policing have picked up that mantle and gone to help these people. We're not always the right people to do that.
"Colleagues here in other agencies are much better equipped, much better trained to do that. So it's just about making sure they get the right help."
Chief Supt Minty added that where there's a high level of risk, police will still respond.
"We have a duty of care. If there is a threat to life or a an immediate threat of serious harm to somebody, policing will still play their part and still go there."
Chief Supt Minty explained how RCRP will work.
"If someone phones us with a concern for someone that we call a concern for welfare and that person needs to check in on what we will do is we've designed a programme in our control room that our operators will look at effectively a number of questions that they'll go down."
These questions will help establish if the police are the right people to deal with the situation.
Chief Supt Minty said: "If it's not appropriate for policing to go, we'll advise the caller to speak to our partner agency. We may be able to do that signposting ourselves, make that contact ourselves, and ensure that they're getting through to the right agency."
The first phase of RCRP will roll out on Monday 8th April, which will see RCRP applied to calls regarding welfare concerns of person.
This will included those who have walked out of a healthcare setting and people who are absent without leave (AWOL) from mental health services.
A secondary phase will come into action at a later date, which will related to medical incidents including requests for transportation of patients.
The initiative wont apply to children when it begins.
Gill May, Chief Nurse, Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board, said: “A mental health crisis is every bit a medical emergency as a severe physical injury, and it’s only right that vulnerable people in these challenging situations are cared for appropriately and in environments that can ensure their wellbeing is maintained.
“The NHS has a close working relationship with local police colleagues, and we will continue to work together to ensure the Right Care, Right Person programme is implemented safely and securely.”
Mathew Page, Chief Operating Officer at the Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership Trust said: “We support the principle of ensuring that people should receive a health response to a health issue. When someone is unwell and experiencing a mental health crisis they need the care of a trained health professional who is equipped to offer the most appropriate support.
“We have long standing good working relationship with Wiltshire Police, which will continue within the requirements of Right Care Right Person. Working together we will ensure that we recognise where the support of the police is required.”