Today, representatives from the health and care sector, the police, the charity and voluntary sector, and government are meeting at the Oval in Vauxhall, South London to discuss, debate and celebrate the work of the Mental Health Crisis Care Concordat.

The Mental Health Crisis Care Concordat is a national agreement between services and agencies involved in the care and support of people in crisis. In February last year, 22 national bodies involved in health, policing, social care, housing, local government and the third sector joined forces to sign the Crisis Care Concordat. Since then five more bodies have signed the Concordat, making a total of 27 national signatories.

The Concordat focuses on four main areas including access to support before crisis, urgent and emergency access to crisis care, quality of treatment and care when in crisis and recovery and staying well.

The Crisis Care Concordat focuses on the responses to acute mental health crises but also includes a section on prevention and intervention. The Concordat builds on existing guidance.
 

Today’s meeting will focus on the success of street triage, the reduction in the use of police cells as places of safety and the continuing efforts of the police and local health and care services to work more closely together since the signing of the Concordat.

Other topics to be explored at the meeting include:

•Reducing crisis through recovery focused practice.

•Eliminating out of area placements.

•Embedding the Concordat through commissioning.

•Legislative changes to sections 135 and 136.

•Enhancing mental health crisis care in A&E.

•Why mental health crisis care for children and young people is different. 

•Getting transfer of care right between services.