Mental Health Reference Group - Edinburgh Futures Institute
Representatives from Public Health Scotland, RAMH, Penumbra, The Neuk, Cruse Scotland, Samaritans, See Me Scotland, Cosla, Voluntary Health Scotland, Edinburgh Napier University and VOX gathered to discuss the ongoing work being driven by the Mental Health Taskforce in response to the HMICS report on Mental Health. Representatives agreed to participation in forming a new reference group, solely focused on providing Police Scotland with the voices of professional, expert and lived experience to support the development of new, and improved, person centred approaches across Scotland.
Representatives received a presentation from Police Inspector Suzanne Kelsey on the success of the Mental Health Pathway, a Scottish Government funded collaboration with NHS 24 and Scottish Ambulance Service, followed by the presentation and discussion around a collaborative approach to the development of a suicide bereavement support letter providing emotional and practical support for families bereaved by suicide.
The formation of a reference group will lend support and expertise to the current collaborative workstreams, governance structure and newly created Mental Health Taskforce established to address the 2023 HMICS Mental Health Report recommendations for Police Scotland.
Chief Superintendent Matt Paden who leads Police Scotland’s Mental Health Taskforce said: “The taskforce will establish and integrate referral pathways such as the NHS Mental Health Pathway and Distress Brief Intervention, as well as operational guidance on how to access community triage, so individuals in our communities get the most appropriate response from those best capable to provide the help they require and merit.
“The taskforce will also realign Police Scotland training to better equip our officers with the knowledge, skills and confidence necessary to provide balance around the care, support and compassion in daily policing our communities.
“The success of these initiatives heavily depends on the support and engagement of our partners. There are excellent local examples, such as, but not limited, to Hope Point in Dundee, The Neuk in Perth and the community triage model in Lanarkshire which provide a fantastic support to our local communities in those areas.
“We want to enable similar efforts to be implemented nationally and our goal is to collaborate with partners to ensure that individuals have access to the most suitable assistance with our officers and staff equipped with the knowledge and tools to make that a reality.”
Thursday marked the first gathering of the Mental Health Reference Group who will support Police Scotland in providing a forum for multi sectoral collaboration.
Wendy Given from the Neuk was among those participating in the meeting.
She said: “As a third sector organisation working closely with Police Scotland to provide mental health crisis support, it was great to hear about the work being done on pathways and to have the opportunity to represent the views of those using our services at The Neuk. Today was a great opportunity to explore potential gaps and work together on creating a more streamlined and effective response for individuals reaching out in mental health crises. We are pleased to be included in the formation of a Mental Health Reference Group to ensure that a cross-section of views informs the work they do. I would like to praise Police Scotland for their dedication to bringing about change that truly puts the person at the centre."
Neil Mathers, Executive Director for Samaritans Scotland said: “This was a great opportunity to work with partners across the third sector to consider how we can better support people in our communities experiencing mental health crisis.
“It was hugely valuable to learn more about Police Scotland’s new Mental Health Taskforce and the progress being made with NHS24 to ensure timely and effective support to those in distress.
“At Samaritans Scotland we work to ensure fewer lives are lost to suicide. We believe it’s vital to work positively and collaboratively with Police Scotland and other partners to achieve this vision.”
