Oldham Mental Health Phone Triage/RAID Pilot Project Evaluation Report

Edmondson, DA and Cummins, I (2014) Oldham Mental Health Phone Triage/RAID Pilot Project Evaluation Report. Manchester Metropolitan University.

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Abstract

In 2013, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) commissioned an independent evaluation of the Oldham Phone Triage/RAID Pilot Project. This evaluation report covers the period of the six month pilot from 02.12.2013 to 31.05.14. Lord Adebowale’s recent Independent Commission on Mental Health and Policing (2013) concluded that mental health represents one of the most significant and complex challenges for policing in the UK; addressing this matter is core business and should become a priority in all future service planning and delivery at a local level. The Sainsbury Centre (2008) identified that nationally, 15% of all incidents dealt with by the police include the presence of significant mental health difficulties and problems. The report highlighted that police officers do not typically have ready access to sufficient additional information that would support their decision-making in these types of cases. Officers also felt that their training did not always adequately prepare them for this area of work. In February 2014, a national Crisis Care Concordat was signed by more than 20 organisations in England in a bid to drive up standards of care for people in police custody. The Concordat, seeks to build on other announcements on mental health care, notably liaison and diversion schemes, street triage and the national Mental Health Action Plan (2014). GMP and the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Greater Manchester (PCCGM) have been instrumental in setting up a Mental Health Strategy Group to coordinate and improve mental health and policing across Greater Manchester. Mental health and the need to protect vulnerable people have been given major status in the Police and Crime Plan 2013-16 for Greater Manchester (PCCGM, 2013). At a recent consultation event, Tony Lloyd (Police and Crime Commissioner for Greater Manchester) stated: ‘People suffering mental health problems deserve the best service and the only way to achieve that is for the police, NHS and other agencies to pool resources and work together’ (PCCGM, 2014: online).