POLICE officers will get better training on how to deal with people who have mental health issues.
West Mercia and Warwickshire Police have just published new action plans on how they will work with partners to improve support for the most vulnerable in their care.
The proposals focus on a wide range of areas including mental health services, the quality of treatment and improving their response when people are detained under the Mental Health Act.
Each action plan has been developed with the Mental Health Crisis Care Concordat which looks to improve outcomes for people experiencing mental health crises.
It follows on from the signing of the Warwickshire & West Mercia Concordat Declaration in December last year, when a number of agencies made a commitment to work together and improve services around mental health.
Temporary Ass Ch Con Amanda Blakeman of Warwickshire & West Mercia Police and deputy chair of the multi-agency Mental Health Concordat Governance Group, said: “I have been extremely pleased and proud of the work that has been completed to get us, as a partnership, to this important milestone in ensuring that people who are suffering a mental health crisis get the right care and attention at the appropriate time.
“The creation of the action plans marks the start of a real commitment to work together to continue to protect people from harm.”
A full review of people placed in police custody under the Mental Health Act for their own safety will also take place by the end of June.
Bill Longmore, West Mercia’s Police and Crime Commissioner, said he felt the changes would achieve some great things.
“I’m very pleased to see this action plan in place, and that so much work and thought has clearly gone into it from all the parties involved,” he said.
“This concordat has the potential to achieve some great things for the public, and within our role on the governance group, I assure you the Office of the PCC will ensure the promises that have been made are then fulfilled for the people of West Mercia.”
The plans have now been officially published on www.crisiscareconcordat.org.uk/ – the national Mental Health Crisis Concordat website.
