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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Did you know that the Police are taking the overflow of mental health patients?

69 replies

Hatstrategicallydipped · 06/01/2021 13:15

No, you're not put into a police cell and given valium but.......

If you're suicidal and an ambulance can't get to you for hours, the police are sent around to sit with you until an ambulance gets to you.

They can also accompany you to A&E if you're willing to go.

They have told me that they receive absolutely no training on dealing with Mental Health patients - yet, there they are - my knights in shining armour.

I've had the unfortunate privilege of dealing with a few over the past 2 weeks. They have been absolutely lovely to me. Chatted, listened to music I forced on them etc. Desperately tried to get the services I'm engaged with to act. Constantly ringing the services for updates, checking in with their sergeants etc.

For a 'force' that has no training, they do an awesome job. I just wanted to get that out there. I'm very grateful to them for the support they have given me over the past couple of weeks.

However!!

They should not be forced to sit with a suicidal patient for hours. There should be a dedicated mental health emergency call-out service.

I don't think that most people know how shambolic Mental Health services actually are for people in crisis and I suspect nobody knew that the police are really the first point of support?

OP posts:
Original poster
Hatstrategicallydipped · 06/01/2021 14:19

Sorry, I never said that it was a new thing. I don't know why there are about 10 posts telling me that it's not a new thing. Confused

I merely wanted people to be aware that that is who is picking up the pieces.

OP posts:
bloodyhairy · 06/01/2021 14:20

Aww, that is lovely of the police, and hope you're ok OP Thanks

It's all very sad though.

My dad is in the prison service, and there are many prisoners suffering from poor mental health who shouldn't even be there ... but there's nowhere else to put them Sad
It has also made his job increasingly difficult over the years.
Very sad, as I say.

Fangdrew · 06/01/2021 14:20

Think this has always been the case sadly. My brother is a police officer and has to deal with this on an almost daily basis. Often they are called out to the same person multiple times per day, week, month. They have no knowledge of the person’s crisis plan and no contact with their mental health team, so all they can do is firefight and prevent the risk of serious harm. It’s a massive failure and the reasons are probably multiple and complex.

LakieLady · 06/01/2021 14:22

@Clutterbugsmum

Yes, that's what happens when the government cuts all services to the bone.

One of the 24 hours in police custody programmes showed how the police were literary begging for the Mental Health services to take custody of a man with very bad mental health issues and the police did not want him prison. But I think that he had to go to prison to get access to mental health services.

That doesn't surprise me.

Even 20 years a psych nurse friend left his job in an MH secure unit to work in a prison hospital wing. He said it was a much more caring environment, and was only half joking.

MH services are appallingly badly resourced.

Fangdrew · 06/01/2021 14:25

Hope you are feeling better by the way. I can only speak for my own brother not all officers, but he would always rather help someone in crisis than leave them alone. I am NHS and we do our jobs the best we can xx

Doodallysally · 06/01/2021 14:38

My partner is in the police and has had a few cases this past year where he's spent time with them talking them off a ledge (literally!), and waiting with them to just have a chat and cup of tea because he can tell they're alone and feeling helpless. One case, he and 4 other officers had to run after and physically restrain a woman from jumping and hold on to her till paramedics arrived. He's never had any training, but has a lot of empathy for people such as yourself who are clearly not getting the mental health provision they require. He mentioned he's had more suicide related call outs last year than in all the years previous - lockdown related no doubt.

I'm very proud of him for the job he does, and it's really good to know that he is managing to help people such as yourself, in your time of need. To him, it's just his job and shrugs it off when i tell him the work he does is invaluable. I often think the police haven't received half the amount of kudos NHS workers and teachers have for the work they do during this pandemic - which also sees them work extra hours, frontline exposure to the virus and seeing the effect of lockdown on the more vulnerable members of society.

Take care of yourself, OP, and thank you for recognising some of the work the police do that is largely unnoticed by the general public.

x2boys · 06/01/2021 14:46

This has always happened in fact before a 136 suite was built at the trust I used to work for ,people the police beleived to be mentally unwell were either taken to A and E or the police station as a place of safety to wait to be assessed by mental health services

DappledThings · 06/01/2021 15:07

Sorry, I never said that it was a new thing. I don't know why there are about 10 posts telling me that it's not a new thing

It's the present tense in your subject:
Did you know that the Police are taking the overflow of mental health patients? sounds like something new.
Do you know that the Police take the overflow of mental health patients? sounds ongoing.
I'm sure someone can better explain the precise grammar, is one of those perfect and one imperfect or something? I forget.

Just to be clear this is absolutely not a pedantic SPAG post and there's nothing wrong with how you phrased the question but you asked why people thought you thought it was new and that's how I read it.

Original poster
Hatstrategicallydipped · 06/01/2021 15:09

This is not a new thing nor a Covid specific thing. I never ever said that. Unfortunately I have much experience over the years.

Most 'normal' people would not know this however. That's why I posted. And I suppose to acknowledge what the police do too.

OP posts:
Original poster
Hatstrategicallydipped · 06/01/2021 15:10

@DappledThings

Sorry, I never said that it was a new thing. I don't know why there are about 10 posts telling me that it's not a new thing

It's the present tense in your subject:
Did you know that the Police are taking the overflow of mental health patients? sounds like something new.
Do you know that the Police take the overflow of mental health patients? sounds ongoing.
I'm sure someone can better explain the precise grammar, is one of those perfect and one imperfect or something? I forget.

Just to be clear this is absolutely not a pedantic SPAG post and there's nothing wrong with how you phrased the question but you asked why people thought you thought it was new and that's how I read it.

FFS!!

Christ almighty.

OP posts:
Fallox · 06/01/2021 15:10

Unfortunately mental health services have no powers to force someone to do anything.

If I (as a mental health nurse) was in someone's home and wanted them to go to hospital and they said no, or if they then attempted to leave the home... I would have to let them go.

Unfortunately the police is where a lot of the physically being able to stop people power lies.

DappledThings · 06/01/2021 15:12

FFS!!

Christ almighty.
Ok, I was trying to be helpful by answering your question. Your title misled a few people, including me and you asked why.

Marmite27 · 06/01/2021 15:13

My SIL is a police call handler and was holding forth on this the other day. I do know, but I’ve only recently found out.

She was rather scathing about the fire services remit compared to the police or ambulance service though!

hibbledibble · 06/01/2021 15:13

The police have always done this

Everleigh2021 · 06/01/2021 15:14

@DappledThings is quite right and trying to help op......the post didnt warrant that reply from you! why so snippy? its a chat board

CrotchBurn · 06/01/2021 15:20

The police are amazing. I love them!

Fallox · 06/01/2021 15:21

Lots of police now have a dedicated mental health practitioner that can access mental health notes to advise police of care plans and attend with police

There is often also now mental health nurses with police custody who can arrange follow up support /assess people in custody

Unfortunately the police are often used in circumstances where other services dont fit.
is it an emergency? If yes call 999
what service? If it's not a fire then its rarely fire brigade, coast guard is fairly specific. Ambulances have limited powers in terms of someone on a cliff top as given above.
Thus all the calls that dont fit other services tend to go to police

cantdothisnow1 · 06/01/2021 15:22

This has been the way for a long time. Underfunded CAMHS has suggested I call the police before now because they don't have the capacity to assist children with mental health issues.

wildraisins · 06/01/2021 15:26

Yes this has always been the case.

There are mental health services but they are woefully under-resourced.

However, even when there is mental health support, the police are often involved, because someone suicidal is often found in an unsafe environment or frame of mind and so they have to be there anyway.

Mental health professionals, whilst trained in mental health, will not necessarily have the practical/ physical skills to deal with someone who is lashing out, or pull them back from a cliff edge etc. You need both.

WhatACrockOfShit · 06/01/2021 15:26

@DappledThings let's try and be kind eh?
Thank you for posting this @Hatstrategicallydipped

DappledThings · 06/01/2021 15:29

[quote WhatACrockOfShit]@DappledThings let's try and be kind eh?
Thank you for posting this @Hatstrategicallydipped[/quote]
I was! I was trying to helpfully answer the question OP posed which I thought might lessen her frustration with the number of people who inferred OP thought this was a new situation.

Kinder than leaving her annoyed with people repeatedly just telling her it isn't new and her not knowing why.

Everleigh2021 · 06/01/2021 15:34

[quote WhatACrockOfShit]@DappledThings let's try and be kind eh?
Thank you for posting this @Hatstrategicallydipped[/quote]
@DappledThings WAS kind!! nothing nasty in that message at all

there really wasn't ...it was a well meaning attempt at explaining others (my own included) mindset, when reading the OP!

thefallthroughtheair · 06/01/2021 15:35

Yes, sadly. This was the case even 20 years ago when I was working in a sector which involved contact with the police and I can only imagine how much worse it must be now.
Despite all their faults, I actually have quite a soft spot for the police because of my experience with them - they deal with whole lot of difficult shit that is really way outwith their training or any expectations most of them probably had when they joined up.

TheTrashBagIsOursCmonTrashBag · 06/01/2021 15:37

This has been going on for years I believe, it’s certainly not a new thing unfortunately and it appears that the situation gets more and more desperate as time goes on. The police shouldn’t be dealing with things like this especially without proper training but as mental health provision is so poor thankfully they do or things would be even more dire for many desperate people.

Sonicthehedgehogg · 06/01/2021 15:42

The buck always stops at funding.

Do we have a local 24 hour telephone crisis service? Yes.
At night, is that two nurses in a room to cover the entire county? Also yes.

People deserve better. And we want to provide it, there just isn't enough of us.