Police can no longer be “Plan B”
“It is time to take a stance. It is time to accurately measure this and push back. It is time we tried to change the culture and ensure that other agencies put in proper contingencies instead of relying on the police as ‘Plan B’.” Nathan Constable argues why the police can no longer be Plan B.
Mind the gap
“There appears to have been an overwhelming sense within the mental health profession that the programme unfairly portrayed the mental health profession.
“As a police officer I watched the show and thought ‘Welcome to my Saturday night’.” Nathan Constable responds to Panorama’s programme on people being ‘locked-up for being mentally ill’.
A foot in both camps
Over the last few weeks I have enjoyed following @Northwestdoc. It has struck me that much of what Dr Holmes as said has rung true with what I have been saying and, coming from a medical professional, this really interested me. I wanted to know more so I asked Dr Holmes to write a guest […]
The other way around
The ever wonderful and erudite @MentalHealthCop has written this superb blog as his statement to the Care Quality Commission ahead of their review of Emergency Mental Health Care. Michael really has covered just about everything that needs to be said but I have a few observations of my own. Broadly speaking these can be condensed into two […]
Back to school
Two of the largest public institutions in the United Kingdom are taking a bit of a hammering at the moment. The NHS is currently having its performance culture dissected with clinical precision whilst the police are barely out of the news with stories of alleged cover-ups, inappropriate activity and general inadequacy and inefficiency coming out […]
The definitions of IT implementation
Today, I had some eagerly awaited IT training. We have been awaiting the arrival of this kit for about 18 months and it is due to roll out next week. The conversation with the trainer went like this: “We are here to train you on the new tech.” “Oh great, how long will it take?” […]
One step forward - one step back?
Today, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary have published a joint report with the Care Quality Commission, Healthcare Inspectorate Wales and HM Inspectorate of Prisons into the use of police cells for persons detained under the Mental Health Act 1983. This matter has been subject to increasing scrutiny over recent years as there have been a number of […]
It’s all we have and it has to change
An interesting debate is ongoing at work. Officers are becoming increasingly aware of the fact that they actually have no powers to deal with mental health crises in private places and are beginning to openly ask the question “So what should we do?” The fact that this realisation is dawning after 30 years is also […]
Could do better - MUCH better
“In twelve months it seems that the Home Secretary has spent a considerable amount of time talking to her counterparts but having little or no impact. Her other action was to write to someone else and ask them to deal with it locally.” Nathan Constable argues that if police are required to deal with mental health issues then this needs legislative change and not inaction from the Government.
The right tools for the wrong job
On Sunday just gone I was very honoured (but slightly nervous) to know that the Sunday Express were going to be basing an article on policing and mental health from my blogs. The full article can be read here. If it were down to me I would not have chosen the words “Mental health victims” […]
Silence is golden?
A doctor and a police officer are both worried about management practices in their organisations. The doctor thinks that chasing targets is affecting clinical decision making and affecting patient safety. The police officer thinks that chasing targets is causing dysfunctional organisational behaviour and affecting public safety. Both try to raise their concerns and both are […]
Missing a trick – a UK perspective on police and social media for #poltwt
A brief history of breaking news Once upon a time, when Newspapers ruled the world, our news was fed to us the day after things had happened. Television, with its scheduled news bulletins, reduced that delay from days to hours. If an event was important enough, regular viewing would be interrupted with a NEWS FLASH. […]
Mental health bed crisis forces us to place sick people in police cells
“Police cells have been used as places of safety for mental health patients for too long. The sooner the decision is taken to stop using them the better for all of us – police, AMHPs and, most of all, the sick people in need of help.” Nathan Constable argues that we need to find an alternative approach to police involvement in mental health cases.
Lower your shields!
“Accountability” is very much the theme of the day. It has certainly become part of the language of government in that their use of the term “holding to account” has become frequently heard. The introduction of Police and Crime Commissioners was one such initiative. Their arrival was hailed as the dawn of a new era […]
Abstaining is NOT a “no” vote
Until about three days ago I had decided to abstain from the forthcoming Police Federation ballot on whether we should attempt to get industrial rights. This was a personal and considered decision based on my own views of the ballot. I do not support it. I do not think police officers should strike and I […]
Reform or perform?
“Not once – not once – has anyone talked about the actual role the police play in society or about the volume or variety of work they undertake.” Nathan Constable argues that the government’s current approach to police reform is misguided and ideological and should instead focus on reforming the work and role of the police service.