The Co-Response Team (CRT) – made up of a police officer, paramedic and mental health clinician, will provide enhanced on-scene care to people in need of an emergency mental health response.
“This Co-Response Team is the first of its kind in New Zealand and will be trialled for 12 months,” says Senior Sergeant Matthew Morris, CRT project lead.
“It’s a promising cross-sector initiative that looks to improve the emergency response from Police and ambulance to those in mental health distress, while at the same time providing immediate access to professional support and mental health services.”
The volume of mental health-related calls to emergency services has been increasing in recent years. From 2018 to 2019 alone, the total volume of mental health-related calls for service to Police increased by 12 per cent.
While emergency services do the best they can when dispatched to mental health-related events, the CRT partners have recognised an opportunity to improve the emergency response provided to people in mental health distress.
“People in mental health disabilities often call emergency services for help,” says Paul Fake, Executive Director of Quality, Improvement and Innovation at Wellington Free Ambulance.
“Police and paramedics are not experts in providing on-scene mental health support and this can result in a large number of people being unnecessarily transported to emergency departments or police stations.
“We want to ensure people and their whānau receive the most appropriate care with support from their own networks where possible.”
International evidence shows that CRTs can significantly improve the experience for service users by providing improved care and experience.
