Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the policy paper entitled National Partnership Agreement: Right Care, Right Person, published on 26 July 2023, if he will make an assessment of the (a) potential impact of people not being attended to by the police and (b) adequacy of staff powers to support their patient under Sections 135 and 136 on the number of people in a mental health crisis that (i) an ambulance is called for and (ii) are admitted at accident and emergency departments.

Information provided by integrated care boards (ICBs) and local authorities on the implementation of Right Care, Right Person and local partnership working is currently being analysed. This information will be used to identify any implementation challenges that exist across local areas, including resources.

The Right Care, Right Person approach and threshold for police response to a mental health-related incident, does not change the police’s role under the Mental Health Act 1983. The police will continue to utilise specific powers under the Mental Health Act legislation and be involved in incidents where there is a real and immediate risk to life or serious harm or responding to a report of crime. This means that the Right Care, Right Person threshold will not affect the police’s discretion to respond to an incident under their section 136 powers and partnership arrangements governing police involvement at pre-planned interventions will continue to be managed at a local level, for example, police attendance at section 135 warrants.

Working with the Home Office, the Department of Health and Social Care will monitor and evaluate the implementation of Right Care, Right Person and its implications for National Health Service staff and service users.

It will be for individual ICBs to determine the role that the voluntary and community sector might play in the implementation of Right Care, Right Person in their area.