Met wins battle with NHS over not attending mental health calls

The Metropolitan police has won its battle to stop attending most of the mental health calls it receives after a tense behind-the-scenes row with the health service, the Guardian has learned. From 31 October the Met will start implementing a scheme that aims to stop officers being diverted from crime fighting to do work health staff are better trained for. In May, the Guardian revealed that the Met commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, had written to health and social care leaders setting a deadline of 31 August – leading to furious reaction from health chiefs who wrote to the commissioner protesting that it would put vulnerable people at risk. The agreement means Rowley will push his deadline for the start of the changes back by two months, before a phased introduction. In return, health services will not publicly criticise the police decision, and will race to put measures in place to pick up the work.
A formal announcement is expected as soon as Friday 18 August after weeks of tense talks. The Met was armed with legal advice from a senior barrister – a king’s counsel – arguing the law meant the force did not have to do the work of the health service and would probably win any legal challenge.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/aug/17/met-police-mental-health-calls-nhs-mark-rowley

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