Commissioner Welcomes Local Mental Health Pledge
15th October 2014
A locally organised event supporting people experiencing a mental health crisis has been welcomed by Vera Baird.
The Police and Crime Commissioner for Northumbria was speaking about the Mental Health Crisis Care Concordat workshop being held later this month in Gateshead.
The Commissioner represents the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC) on the National Concordat and earlier this year signed the country-wide pledge supporting the first Mental Health Concordat.
She said: “This joint approach for assessing and improving the care of people in mental health crisis can only improve the help and service they receive.
“Supporting vulnerable people is a high priority in my police and crime plan and this commitment clearly applies here.
“Having this joint approach in assessing and improving the care of people in mental health crisis, can only improve the help they receive which should positively impact on our neighbourhoods.”
She added: “I’m very aware of how many people who come into contact with the police ought not to be involved in the criminal justice system at all, but need to be helped through mental health and social care support or assistance.”
The Concordat sets out shared principles which bring together a multi-agency response to people with a mental health crisis.
It also aims to get the right quality of treatment and care for people in crisis, helping them to recover and stay well to prevent future crises.
The local Mental Health Crisis Care Concordat workshop will take place at the MPH Training and Conference Centre in Stonehills, Gateshead, between 9.30am and 4pm, on Tuesday, 21 October, and include Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (NTW), Clinical Commissioning Groups and other partners as well as the Office of the Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner.
Mrs Baird added: “We look forward to the local implementation of this pledge and for more actions and strong joint working, like the recent introduction of the Street Triage Team pilot in Sunderland, Gateshead and South Tyneside, to happen.”
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