Local authorities are not ready for the major consequences of the Metropolitan Police Services’ (MPS) ‘unilateral’ decision to withdraw from non-emergency mental health callouts, experts warned this week.
Met commissioner Sir Mark Rowley wrote to the police’s health and social care partners last week outlining a new approach under which officers will only attend incidents if there is a threat to life.
Speaking to The MJ after the MPS’ announcement, specialists said the police’s new policy from September surprised some organisations and cast doubt on existing partnership-based systems for helping those in mental health crises.
Joint chief executive of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, Cathie Williams, said: ‘It’s likely that the Met Police’s decision could lead to more pressure on social workers with mental health specialist skills and council emergency duty teams.
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