Guernsey Press

Patients must be kept out of police vans

A CASE study in Mind’s ‘Your Voice’ study of the Bailiwick’s mental health services relates the experiences of a woman called Sarah.

Published

Sarah has had severe and enduring mental health problems for decades and often ends up at Accident & Emergency during a crisis.

She says that some staff do not know how to deal with people in an acute crisis and her needs are not always taken seriously.

‘For me it’s always been like, if you’ve been in a crisis and gone to A&E they come out and go, here’s some diazepam, go home, go sleep, we’ll see you tomorrow.’

Police have been called during several of her crisis episodes.

‘You know, mental health people and police vans. It’s like, you’ve not done anything wrong.’

Police officers are there to catch criminals and prevent crime, yet increasingly they are called upon to help out people with mental health issues. It is both a distraction from their main role and, as Sarah points out, deeply stigmatising to people who are not criminals.

Sarah’s is only one view but this week Law Enforcement’s annual report shows that 20% of frontline police time is being taken up by dealing with matters related to mental health, especially incidents where there is a concern for people’s safety such as self-harm.

That problem is increasing as the island follows national trends of worsening mental health and police are called out when a doctor is not available.

It seems understood by all that this is not the best use of officers’ time nor the best care for people who are not well.

Part of the solution is put forward in the Mind report. Neither Jersey or Guernsey currently has a 24-hour crisis care centre with a psychiatric liaison team in emergency departments to offer an alternative to inpatient care.

In its absence, people needing help go to A&E or call the emergency services, with all the consequences outlined by Sarah.

There is a further cost to this. Mind says the lack of 24-hour specialist support helps explain the increase in severe and complex cases. People are not asking for help until it is too late.

The Bailiwick urgently needs a community-based solution that puts the patient first.