Suffolk Police: Right Care Right Person

From Sunday October 1 Suffolk Constabulary will be going live with Phase 1 of the ‘Right Care, Right Person’ programme.

‘Right Care, Right Person’ was first introduced in Humberside and is aimed at vulnerable people receiving the right support from the right agency.
It is designed to ensure that when there are concerns for a person’s welfare linked to mental health, medical or social care issues, the right person with the right skills, training and experience will respond.
Specifically, it will involve police not attending incidents where they have no legal duty to attend and where police officers and staff are not equipped with the skills, knowledge, or training.

Phase one relates to ‘concern for welfare’ calls.
Suffolk Police have issued reassurance that they will continue to protect the public where the risks presented need a policing attendance.
They will still attend mental health calls if:

There is an immediate risk to life or serious harm to an identified person
Immediate harm – it is obvious to the police that there is a risk to life presently, at this moment or in the immediate future, or has already occurred
Serious harm – there is a risk of significant harm to the person concerned, this can be physical harm, serious neglect issues, significant mental health symptoms, all of which would amount to the suffering of potential significant injuries or psychological harm

We will continue to work collaboratively with the police, local mental health services and other healthcare agencies to ensure people experiencing a mental health crisis get the most appropriate care.

The Trust is already working with Integrated Care Boards and other partners around the region to provide dedicated mental health response vehicles.

We are also employing mental healthcare professionals to support the Trust and to help train our own staff in supporting patients experiencing poor mental health.

To find out more, including the rollout dates for further phases of Right Care Right Person in Suffolk, please read the Suffolk Constabulary's notes for stakeholders.

Published 29 September 2023