Mental Health and Policing

Following a London Assembly Police and Crime Committee meeting held on policing and mental health, the Committee has written a letter to the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, Executive Director of Performance NHS England and Chief Executive Officer of the London Ambulance Service.

The letter makes 6 recommendations policing and mental health which include:

1. The Met should carry out and publish a six-month review of the rollout of Right Care, Right Person in collaboration with NHS England (London) and the London Ambulance Service.
2. We would ask all the statutory sector partners (the Met, NHS and London Ambulance Service) to write to this Committee informing it of how each organisation is engaging with the wider NHS family, local authorities, and relevant parts of the voluntary & community sector to shape the delivery of Right Care, Right Person.
3. The Met should develop, implement and publish a set of metrics for gauging the success of Right Care, Right Person in London that accounts for its impact on patients, public services as a whole, and the wider community by July 2024. The Committee would expect to see reports issued using these metrics on a quarterly basis.
4. The Met must ensure effective dissemination of the principles of Right Care, Right Person to all levels of its workforce. This should include ensuring that every frontline officer receives regular training on responding to people with mental health needs.
5. The Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service should make a statement clarifying the Met’s continued commitment to protecting all Londoners, including those with mental health needs.
6. The London Ambulance Service should engage with specialist services, such as MIND and the Royal College of Psychiatrists, and those with relevant lived experience, to discuss the proposed design of the external appearance of mental health ambulances.