Lesson 4.2 - Mental Health And Suicide Intervention Flashcards
When engaging with someone who appears to be going through mental health distress you use the mnemonic
A L E R T
What does this stand for?
Ask - whats troubling them, are they thinking about suicide
Listen - listen actively, show you care
Encourage - them to get help and support them to do so
Reasure - reasure and give info
Take - take all signs of distress seriously, take action
How do you actively listen?
Active listening - use open questions, and simple, direct language
Speech - slow, clear simple
Empathy / trust - show personal concern
Let them vent - useful for further dialogue
Don’t argue
Be honest - dont make promises you can’t keep
Firm non-intimidating tone
What is community triage?
Available in most parts of scotland
Allows cops who are dealing with an incident to obtain advice from mental health services (phone or face to face)
Local community triage services (if available) should be used in the first instance to help provide the most appropriate response to someone in a mental health crisis.
What happens if offences are commited by someone having a mental health crisis?
Police not mental health professionals, so cannot determine a persons mental capacity to commit a crime.
Deal with them as you would anyone else regardless of perceived mental disorder (unless there are exceptional circomstances, being minor crime or not in public interest to prosecute)
Example of minor crime - breach of the peace where circomstances are linked to their distress/ mental disorder
Always ask custody sargent if you arrest them
NOTE
Appropriate adult
Appropriate adult must always be considered for a prisoner suspected of having a mental health disorder
What is the definition of mental disorder?
S.328 Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003
“Any mental illness; personality disorder; or learning disability, however caused or manifested”
Section 328(2) says what is not mentally disorder?
Sexual orientation
Sexual deviancy
Tran-sexualism
Transvestism
Dependence on, or use of, drugs or alcohol
Behavior that causes, or is likely to cause, harrassment, alarm or distress to any other person; or
By acting as no prudent person would act
What is a public place for the purposes of the act?
“A place to which the public, or any section of the public, has, or is permitted to have, access (whether on payment or otherwise); and includes the common parts of a building containing two or more seperate dwellings”
What is a place of safety defined as?
“A hospital, premises which are used to provide a care home service or any other suitable place (OTHER THAN A POLICE STATION) where the occupier is willing to temporarily recieve a person with mental disorder”
As a last resort if no place of safety is available you can use a police station
How long can a person be detained at a place of safety under the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003?
24 hours
To allow a doctor to examine and make arrangements for his or her treatment
What is the role of a Mental Health Officer? (MHO)
Specially trained social worker who has the training, education, experience and skill to work with people with mental disorder.
They carry out statutory duties for the local authority, primarily in relation to the “Mental Health (Care and Treatment)(Scotland) Act 2003” and “Adults With Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000”
Duties : assessing for detention and obtaining and utilising warrants
What is the role of the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland?
Monitoring and promoting best practice in the use of mental health legislation
Visiting individuals who are receiving compulsory treatment
Conducting investigations and enquiries into deficiencies in care and treatment
Providing advice and information to professionals and service users
Challenge policy makers and Service providers
NOTE The mental welfare commission will receive notification of all the detentions in hospitals and the use of place of safety orders.
What is involved in a Compulsory Treatment Order?
Person is:
•Detained in hospital or
•Kept in the charge of an authorised person or
•Reside at a specified place or
•Obtain the approval of a Mental Health Officer prior to changing adress
If they fail to comply they can be taken into custody by: Mental health officer, constable, member of staff at hospital
Where they are traced to a place a constable may legally be, they can be taken into custody
What happens if a voluntary patient absconds?
They can be asked to return on a voluntary basis
Or using police emergency powers if refused (s297)
Or detained by a doctor if in a private place
What happens if a compulsory patient absconds?
E.g. Detained under the Act and held in hospital against their will, subject to a compulsory treatment order
Constable may return them to the place where they were receiving care and treatment.
THESE POWERS CAN BE USED IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE PLACES
HOWEVER, where a person is traced within a private dwelling and entry is refused a warrant is required to force entry (obtained by Mental Health Officers or health professionals)
Option to force entry is available if there is an immediate risk to life or property
What does “Section 292 - warrant to enter premises for purposes of taking a petient” allow
Private place
Authorised person (MHO or other health professional) may recieve a warrent to let the MHO, health professional or constable to enter premises, open a lock fast place to do so and to take or retake a patient to a place they should be
What do “section 293 and 294 Removal Orders” do?
Private place
MHO may apply for a removal order authorising an MHO specified in the order, other persons specified in the order and a constable to remove a person with mental disorder to a place of safety.
THIS ALLOWS FOR CONTINUED DETENTION FOR A PERIOD NOT EXCEEDING 7 DAYS.
SHERRIF WITH AUTHORISE THE ORDER TO BE EXECUTED WITHIN 72 HOURS
Allows constable to open a lock fast place on the premises if necessary to gain access
S294 similarly is a removal order however used where urgent application to Justice of the Peace is necessary as application to a Sharrif would be impracticable.
What is a s.35 order?
Person 16+ who has a mental disorder and is living in a community in such circomstances that they may be suffering ill treatment or neglect, or is living alone or without care and unable to look after themselves or their property or financial affairs. A sherrif or Justice of Peace can grant warrant to enter premises where that person is.
This can be done by MHO, any other person and constable. ALLOWS PERSON SUBJECT TO THE WARRANT TO BE DETAINED FOR NO MORE THAN THREE HOURS TO CARRY OUT A MEDICAL ASSESSMENT BY A MEDICAL PRACTITIONER
Warrant expires in 8 days from when granted
Constables can open lock fast place
No power to detain and move a person to a place of safety.
Persons with a mental disorder in a public place
S297 of the Mental Health (care and treatment) (scotland) Act 2003
When can a person be removed from a public place?
Police officer may remove a person to a place of safety from a public place when:
They reasonably suspect that a person in a public place has a mental disorder and
That person is in need of immediate care or treatment and
That it is considered to be in the interest of that person or necessary for the protection of any other person to remove the person to a place of safety
THEY CAN ONLY BE REMOVED TO A PLACE OF SAFETY FOR 24 HOURS FROM INITIAL REMOVAL BY CONSTABLE
What must a constable record in their notebook, on VPD and incident log in relation to someone being removed under s297?
Whether removed under s297 or on a voluntary basis
Name and address
Date and time removed from public place
Address of place of safety + and subsequent places of safety and reason for more than one
Circomstances why removed to place of safety
If they were moved to police station, why
Reason why you have been unable to inform the nearest relative/person residing with or carer
Disposal e.g. admission to hospital, release from police custody
Once psychiatric assessment has been carried out at a place of safe, a decision will be made whether to admit to hospital or not. Once admitted (voluntary or detained) or released- s297 power stops
To comply with statutory responsibilities the constable should ensure that the aforementioned info is recored on police systems
Section 298 of the Act says when someone is removed under s297, three differant people should be infomred. Who?
1) local authority in whose area the place of safety is situated
2) the persons nearest relative ASAP
3) Mental Welfare Commission within 14 days of the relevent person being removed under s297
What are the removing officers responsibilities in relation to s297?
- Ensure relevant persons “nearest relative” is informed or carer or person they reside with
- if unable to do this the reason must be recorded on iVPD concern form and Place of Safety Form (POS1)
Removal of a person suspected of having a mental disorder in a private place to a place of safety for psychiatric assessment by a constable is unlawful unless…….
……..
•Person leaves volintarily
•Person has committed a crime or offence and officers are using their power
•Immediate risk to life i.e. house fire, cut wrist etc
•officers use power of removal order (s293 or s294) obtained by MHO
