DORSET'S Police and Crime Commissioner has welcomed plans to provide health-based alternatives to custody for people held under the Mental Health Act and is looking to launch the first 999 'Street Triage' in the country.

Last month, Home Secretary Theresa May announced up to £15m of funding for 'health based' settings for those in mental health crisis.

PCC Martyn Underhill has said the 'pressure' will be ensuring agencies are 'joined up in their work' so that schemes can be introduced within a reasonable timescale.

He says that the police, fire and ambulance services that serve Dorset will soon sit down to discuss a better way of working together in the UK's 'first' 999 Street Triage.

Mr Underhill said: "The detention in police cells of those experiencing mental health crises has always been controversial and police forces across the country are successfully working to reduce the number of people with mental health problems ending up in custody.

"Over half of England (and some areas in Wales) are currently providing a mental health street triage service, which sees mental health nurses provide advice to police officers during incidents where it’s believed the people need immediate mental health support. So, not surprisingly, wherever you go in the police/health arena at the moment, people are talking about street triage.

"It is clearly changing perceptions for those people who work with the mentally ill, be it police officer, police staff or health clinician and that is a real positive. "Triage is this year’s buzz word amongst professionals across the policing/health landscape because we appear to be seeing huge changes in positive outcomes for people in mental health crisis, although we still await the formal evaluations. However, there is no doubt about it, shared learning leads to better outcomes. "

But he said successful models all have one 'golden thread'- that health professionals and police are working together. This means that police have access to a person's health care records, for example.

"This allows police officers to make more informed decisions and gives agencies a clearer picture on future changes to a Care Plan, which hopefully improves the overall care that service users require at that particular time, and in the future," Mr Underhill said.

"Various people involved at a strategic level, including ministers, can see the benefits of “joining up” the street triage with other schemes which are either in operation, or being piloted currently. For example, arguably the street triage could blend with the Custody Healthcare provision, which is currently transferring over to NHS England by April 2016. Equally triage could be absorbed into the Liaison and Diversion scheme for offenders with mental health issues, which is currently being piloted across various sites at the moment, including here in Dorset.

"Imagine one wrap around service that intervenes when a person with mental health issues reaches crisis point or commits a crime. A scheme that could also embrace victims of crime who are vulnerable as repeat victims through their mental health illness."

He added: "So what can we do right now, as a “quick win”? What can we do now to spread the success of multi-agency working, the knowledge sharing and the improved service to people who are mentally ill?

Well, we could expand street triage, in its current form, to include 999 bluelight agencies.

"Why can’t we extend the street triage concept to the Ambulance Service? Well the simple answer is we can. And we can do this relatively easily.

"So here in Dorset, Fire, Police and Ambulance will shortly sit down to discuss this exciting approach, an approach that will hopefully improve outcomes for the mentally ill, and along the way, improve multi agency working.

"I am looking forward to working with partners to explore launching the first 999 Street Triage in the UK."