乐竞体育, the Ministry of Health and Health NZ, along with Hato Hone St John and Wellington Free Ambulance, are working closely together to change the way agencies respond to mental health.
At the heart of these changes is ensuring people who need it, receive the care they deserve from the right professionals when they need it. Their safety and that of kaimahi delivering that care is paramount. This is why agencies have committed to slowly phasing in the changes.
These changes will see an increased health-led response, enabling Police more time to deploy to the work that only Police can do, and the community expects them to do.??
Police will continue to respond to health sector requests for assistance involving an immediate risk to life and safety – just as they always have.
Health NZ, the Ministry and Police are all committed to working together to ensure any potential issues are identified and worked through, to enable a smooth transition through the changes in the Police response.
Phased approach
The programme will be delivered across 4 phases:
Phase One
Phase one was implemented across all districts on November 4, 2024.
- Voluntary handovers at Emergency Departments (EDs): Police have streamlined the process for handing over individuals seeking voluntary mental health assessments at EDs.
- Mental Health transportation requests: Police routinely receive requests to assist with Mental Health transportations. Police require mental health services to complete comprehensive risk assessments before involving Police in transportation requests.
- Police attendance to Mental Health facilities: Police presence at mental health facilities will be reduced, especially in mental health wards.
Phase Two
Phase Two rolls out gradually across Police districts in three groups from April. The Phase Two changes include:
- 60-minute ED Handovers: For individuals detained under the Mental Health (CAT) Act 1992 for a Mental Health assessment, and transported to EDs, Police will hand over to health staff and depart within 60 minutes unless an immediate risk to life or safety exists.
- Mental Health custody rules tightened: To support people requiring a mental health assessment (where there is no criminality involved), our custody suite rules will be changed to prevent mental health assessments from taking place in them and ensuring national consistency of practice.
Phase Three
Phase Three changes include:
- Requests for assistance from health practitioners: Police will apply the new response threshold to requests from health practitioners. Noting, Police will still respond to health sector requests involving an immediate risk to life or safety.
- Missing Mental Health patients: A significant number of Police missing person reports are generated from Mental Health wards and Health facilities. Police will reassess responses to missing persons reports from mental health facilities, aligning them with the new threshold to reduce unnecessary involvement.
We are working constantly with our partners and always reviewing our future delivery to ensure it is the safest and best possible for the public and agencies alike.
Phase Four
Phase Four changes include:
- 15-minute ED handovers: For individuals transported to EDs, Police will hand over to health staff and depart within 15 minutes unless there is an immediate safety risk.
- Welfare checks – from the public and other agencies: Police are considering their response to welfare checks when there is no risk of criminality or to life or safety. There are a lot of complexities to these changes and further consideration and consultation will occur before any final decisions are made.
We are working constantly with our partners and always reviewing our future delivery to ensure it is the safest and best possible for the public and agencies alike.
OIAs
Police is releasing responses to some Official Information Act requests, where it is considered, they contain data and information with wider public interest.
Resources and related information
- People in mental distress presenting via 111: transitioning to a multi-agency response – Proactive Cabinet paper release
- Implementation of Phase Two of Mental Health Response Changes to start