I went looking recently for the 2017 national memorandum of understanding from the College of Policing and others on the Police Use of Restraint in Mental Health and Learning Disablity Settings. This document resulted from the tragic deaths in London of Seni Lewis (2010) and in Birmingham of Kingsley Burrell (2011). At some point, the College […]

Read More The Restraint Document

The Guardian reported at the start of September that “people with mental illness in England face ‘horrifically long’ wait for an ambulance” — and off we go in to the world of ambulance and mental health.  This article instantly brought a number of memories and flashbacks, notably including the senior paramedics who once asked me […]

Read More Horrifically Long Waits

Be careful not to over-push – the discussion at the moment is all about police services re-evaluating the response they give to mental health incidents, with an emphasis on responding to fewer calls which do not require a police response.  Those who have followed this blog for a while will know I completely agree with […]

Read More Overpush