AN INNOVATIVE pilot project where mental health nurses join police on the beat has been extended across Sussex.

The scheme, known as street triage, sees police officers and mental health services join forces to provide immediate help and support to people who may be experiencing a mental health crisis.

In the past, if the police received a call about a person with a mental health problem they may have had to detain that person under the Mental Health Act to get them the help they need.

But with the right support from a mental health professional it is hoped there may be no need for so many people to be admitted to hospital or detained.

Funding has been secured by Coastal West Sussex Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), Horsham and Mid Sussex CCG and Crawley CCG to roll the project out in their areas for two months.

The pilot project, based in Eastbourne, is being extended for a further year by Eastbourne, Hailsham and Seaford CCG and a year-long project will also run in Hastings.

The Eastbourne project has meant 181 people did not need to be detained under a section 136 order when police take someone to a place of safety that can sometimes be a police cell. The people were helped by mental health teams at the scene instead or referred on to the most appropriate service.

In addition, 447 people in distress received immediate mental health care when previously they may have been seen just by police.

Christine Lockwood, Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust’s interim general manager for East Sussex, said: “The aim of this project is to improve people’s experiences and help them get the right care at the right time and in the best place. Feedback from the Eastbourne scheme shows a significant reduction in the number of people with mental health problems being detained.”

Tom Insley, senior mental health commissioner for the West Sussex CCGs, said: “The nurse can help officers decide on the best option for individuals in crisis, by offering professional advice on the spot, accessing health information, helping to liaise with other care services and identifying the right support for the individual.

“This will not only benefit the person concerned and avoid a trip to A&E, but also aims to reduce the need for police to detain someone using section 136 of the Mental Health Act.”

Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne said: “Police cells are not the place for someone in a mental health crisis.

“That is why I am pleased to see this effective pilot project being extended. It is vital that the right arrangements are in place across the county to respond in these situations.”