Mental health response car initiative is nominated for NHS Parliamentary Award
An initiative involving staff from Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust riding alongside police in specialist patrol cars providing mental health support to people in crisis has been shortlisted for a national award.
The ground-breaking project is among the finalists in the Excellence in Mental Health Care Award in the 2023 NHS Parliamentary Awards.
The first response car hit the roads in 2021 as part of a pilot project while a second vehicle took to the streets last December.
Funded by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care System, police and specialist mental health staff working together means that people in mental health crisis receive immediate specialist care.
The scheme also significantly decreases the amount of time police officers spend at each incident. This allows vital resource to be allocated to other ongoing incidents.
Jamie Secker, Service Manager at CPFT (pictured, right with Det Insp Dan Cooper) said: "To have been shortlisted in the awards is a tribute to the entire team. It’s a great example of how mental health practitioners and the police – together with our commissioners – are working in partnership to improve the care and treatment of those in mental health crisis.
“Many incidents that police get called out to involve someone with a mental health issue, so to have our staff working alongside frontline officers has been very welcome move.
“Our staff can offer instant expert support to someone who is experiencing a mental health crisis. Having a nurse who knows what to do often puts people at ease when they’re feeling at their most vulnerable.
“We recognise that police officers are stretched, so if we’re able to speed up some of the processes and take on some of the referral paperwork, it frees them up to do other important tasks.
“We’re really proud of this partnership, and the feedback we’ve had from the people we’ve been called out to has been really encouraging.”
Detective Inspector Dan Cooper said: “It’s fantastic news that the mental health car has been nominated for this award.
“The scheme helps to get specialist care to those in mental health crisis as soon as possible. As well as this, it frees up vital police resource and helps to take pressure off local NHS.
“With so many hours of officers’ time taken up dealing with incidents which involve mental health, and demand for our services at an all-time high, this is an excellent scheme that benefits everyone.”
Louis Kamfer, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Strategic Commissioning at NHS Cambridgeshire & Peterborough said: “The Mental Health Joint Response Car initiative is a great example of partnership working across health and olicing in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough that is making a real difference in our communities."
The vehicles are on patrol from 3pm - 11pm Sunday to Thursday and 5pm - 1am Friday to Saturday. The first patrol car has dealt with around 50 incidents a month.
The patrol cars are not solely designated towards mental health incidents and are directed to deal with other emergencies and situations as they arise.
The NHS Parliamentary Awards take place in London on 5 July - the 75th anniversary of the National Health Service. In qualifying for the national award, the Mental Health Joint Response Car initiative immediately become an East of England winner. All nominations to the awards were made by local MPs.
ENDS
For more information contact:
Andy Burrows
Deputy Head of Communications
andy.burrows@cpft.nhs.uk
