Mental health and policing update

Report: 7
Date: 10 April 2008
By: Assistant Commissioner Territorial Policing on behalf of the Commissioner

Summary

This report contains a further update on progress towards the 33 recommendations of the Joint Review of Policing and Mental Health since the previous report submitted in March 2007.

The recommendations are making good progress and are overseen by the Programme Board chaired by Richard Sumray and the Implementation Board chaired by Commander TP.

A. Recommendation

That

1. members note the report; and

2. support be given to continued work on the implementation and embedding of recommendations form the Joint MPA/NHS Scrutiny.

B. Supporting information

1. This report sets out the current position with regard to the recommendations from the joint MPA/NHS Scrutiny on Policing and Mental Health. Progress towards many of these recommendations has now moved from implementation into business as usual. As such updates on recommendations are shown as embedded, implemented but still requiring ongoing development or requiring further development. Full details of activity are shown in the attached Appendix 1. The report also covers those additional activities being progressed by the Mental Health and Policing team within Territorial policing.

Embedded recommendations

2. The following recommendations, previously agreed as complete by the MPA-led Programme Board, are assessed by the MPS as being embedded in day-day business.

Recommendation 4, 8, 13, 14, 18, 23, 29 31 and 33

The following additional recommendations are embedded within day-to-day business as supported by the evidence within Appendix 1.

Recommendation 10, 12, 15, 19, 21, 22, 24, 26, 27, 28, 30

Implemented but not yet embedded

3. The following recommendations have been implemented but are assessed as needing further development before they can be considered as embedded.

Recommendations 1, 3, 6, 16, 17 and 20

4. Much of the work on these recommendations is being developed as part of the national work below. By working through NPIA and ACPO on the issues of training and charging decisions the MPS intends to build a sustainable approach to ensure that the work already carried out in response to the recommendations is maintained over the longer term.

Recommendations requiring further development

5. The last meeting of the MPA-led programme board considered seven recommendations needed further work. Recommendation 2 refers to the specific needs of diverse groups and is an ongoing piece of work. Recommendations 5, 7, 9, 25 and 32 are work owned in the main by other partners, either the Board or the NHS, and as such, the MPS role in implementation is one of support and influence. It was agreed at the last meeting of the Programme Board that the Commissioner will meet with the Chief Executive of NHS London in order to make headway with these recommendations. The final recommendation (11) refers to the use of a standard protocol with regards to section 135. Whilst a protocol has been agreed, a recent review found that the agreed protocol was not being used universally. This is being addressed with changes being brought about under the Mental Health Act 2007.

Achievements and planned projects being delivered or developed by the MPS Mental Health project team and topics involving policing mental health not already covered within the recommendations

6. The following activities are being carried out as part of additional work by the team:

1. Revision to the existing SOP to incorporate a final agreement between the LAS and MPS for transportation of mentally ill detainees
2. Influencing the Department of Health and liasing with the Home Office to ensure the revised codes of practice for the Mental Health Act are in line with the Police and Criminal Evidence Act and fit around practical policing
3. Participating in the Ministry of Justice Review of Mentally Disordered Offenders and their pathways through the Criminal Justice System. This review, recently announced, reflects the ongoing desire to get change in Home Office Circular 66/90 to adequately set a framework to encourage offenders suffering from mental illness to be held to account for their activities.
4. Preparing the MPS for the changes introduced by the revised codes of practice
5. Implementation of the Mental Health Act and Mental Capacity Act.
6. Supporting Commander TP as ACPO lead for policing Disability and Mental Health and coordinating national guidance for policing mental health. In particular the development and implementation of a programme of work: including a manual of guidance, a national training project and a change programme affecting all aspects of policing mental health.
7. Providing expert advice to MPS officers and staff about policing mental health through personal contact, conferences, revision of training materials, SOPs and an intranet site.
8. Maintaining a National Extranet site for all UK police forces.
9. Consultation on the six strands of diversity and in particular with the MPS Disability Independent Advisory Group to ensure policies, SOPs and guidance are citizen focused.
10. Working with the Home Office and the Lord Bradley review team to inform consultations about diversion of mentally ill offenders from the criminal justice system.
11. Working with Offender Health to support taking forward the document “Improving Health Supporting Justice”.
12. Facilitating a pilot exercise to test out the feasibility of mental health first aid training provided by the Care Services Improvement Partnership to officers from MPS public order branch and MPS first aid training.
13. Working closer with the Violent Crime Directorate in developing the Mental Health component of the borough Public Protection Desks.

C. Race and equality impact

1. All aspects of policy and guidance produced by the MPS are automatically subject to equality impact processes where these issues are picked up and recorded. This ensures the final outcomes are responsive to identified equality issues. A full EIA is currently being carried out for the new SOPs being developed.

2. There are no specific implications in addition to those already fully identified and highlighted within existing EIAs for the policies and processes described in the above report. A continuing theme, however, is the over representation of African Caribbean men within the Mental Health system.

D. Financial implications

Financial implications within this report are specifically the ongoing costs to the MPS of the implementation team and the costs in terms of training and support as a result of changes in legislation. The MPS has worked closely with the NPIA and ACPO to look for external funding streams to assist with the major guidance and training programmes but all of this work will involve abstraction of staff for ongoing development and training, which has not as yet been costed.

E. Legal Implications

Currently, these appear only in the case of reports concerning procurement or property acquisitions or disposals

F. Background papers

• The MPS standard operating procedure for Policing Mental Health
• The Joint MPS/NHS Scrutiny into Policing and Mental Health
• Previous reports to PPRC and MPA Full Authority regarding Mental Health Policing

G. Contact details

Report author(s): Inspector Michael Partridge, MPS Territorial Policing Headquarters

For more information contact:

MPA general: 020 7202 0202
Media enquiries: 020 7202 0217/18

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