Taking mental health to the streets

Crisis Practitioner Laura reflects on the introduction of the crisis care concord at the street triage service.

I have worked at Leeds crisis team for a little over two years and in that time I’ve seen so many positive changes in the service to provide a better experience for the people we come into contact with.

Since the introduction of the crisis care concord at the street triage service there has been increased referrals and all of the statistics indicate the number of people detained on a section 136 have reduced.

Street triage (or mental health triage as it’s also known) is a service which is available to all of the emergency services, however is accessed primarily by the police. When they come into contact with somebody who they have concerns for regarding their mental health and may be considering the use of a section 136, they call the designated street triage mobile number with the details and we check to see if the person is known to mental health services. If they are, we see what their current involvement is and respond as quickly as we can to the officers and service user. A triage assessment takes place on the scene and a plan is established with the police and the service user on the spot.

We respond to a number of different locations including the service user’s house, bus stations, hotel rooms, police stations and even the airport! The service covers the whole city and due to the nature of the role you can be faced with literally anything when starting the shift!

I opted to work on the street triage team permanently when given the option. This part of the service has developed significantly since the original pilot; the hours have extended to 24 hours, it is more widely used by police officers, British transport police (who were not involved in the initial pilot) and we also have nurses based in the police control room, offering their specialist knowledge and experience at the point the initial emergency call is made. It is a great part of the service to work for – not only am I part of the transformation of the service in Leeds I get to think on my feet, problem solve and have developed good professional relationships with the police and ambulance service.

Laura
Crisis Practitioner