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<p>Police custody officers should carry out an assessment of the risk and vulnerability of everyone in custody, on an individual basis. This assessment should take into account the person’s behaviour, any signs of illness or injury, their communication, including information from all available sources and the circumstances and environment in which they were found.</p><p>In accordance with Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 Code C paragraph 9.5, the custody officer must make sure that a detainee receives appropriate clinical attention as soon as reasonably practicable if the person: appears to be suffering from physical illness, is injured, appears to be suffering from a mental disorder or appears to need clinical attention.</p><p>Liaison and Diversion schemes (commissioned by NHS England) have been introduced into police custody in England, to seek to ensure that vulnerable people are identified and offered access to the help they may need. These schemes see mental health workers based within police custody suites that offer identification, assessment and referral function for people with mental health issues, ASD, learning disabilities or substance misuse problems. A key component of these schemes is to provide referrals to community treatment and support services and to provide advice to police custody staff on how best to support people with these vulnerabilities.</p><p>The Government and the NHS are committed to ensuring that those in need of mental health support or experiencing a mental health crisis receive timely care from an appropriately trained professional who can provide them with the right support. The Home Office, Department of Health & Social Care, National Police Chiefs’ Council, the College of Policing, the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, and NHS England worked closely, together with other key partners to develop the National Partnership Agreement for the Right Care Right Person approach to ensure that the most appropriate agency attends, to provide the best possible service for those in need. Home Office and DHSC Ministers have and continue to work closely on the implementation of the National Partnership Agreement.</p> |