Mental Health Crisis Care
London’s All-Age Mental Health Crisis Care Concordat
Over the past decade, across our capital we have seen significant investment in our mental health services. This investment has resulted in historic expansion across London. We have seen continued growth in access to vital community mental health services, and the roll-out of liaison mental health teams in all Emergency Departments in the capital. We have also seen increasing numbers of people accessing vital crisis services through community-based crisis alternatives, such as crisis cafés. More recently, during the pandemic, we saw the launch of open access crisis lines across all trusts. Finally, police custody is no longer deemed as a Health Based Place of Safety.
While we recognise that there has been real progress since the launch of the first crisis care concordat in 2014, we accept that there is much more we can do to improve access, patient experience, and outcomes for the diverse population we serve.
The London All-Age Mental Health Crisis Care Concordat is a commitment to ensuring seamless care and support for people of all-age in crisis, accessing care in London’s mental health system. Through this concordat, it is our vision that all Londoners experiencing mental health crisis have access to timely and equitable support that is best suited to their needs. We will work together as a group of organisations, to deliver on the commitments set out within this mental health concordat.
Download London’s All-Age Mental Health Crisis Care Concordat.
London’s section 136 pathway and Health Based Place of Safety Specification guidance document
This guidance document is aimed at stakeholders involved in the section 136 (s136) pathway. Specifically, London’s police forces, the London Ambulance Service, approved mental health professionals and acute and mental health trusts. It outlines a consistent pathway of care across London and a minimum standard for Health Based Place of Safety sites.
The guidance covers the s136 pathway from when the individual is detained in a public place, conveyance processes, the interface with accident and emergency departments and processes at the Health Based Place of Safety (including the Mental Health assessment and arranging follow up care).
The first edition of this guidance was published in December 2016. Following the implementation of changes to the legal framework for s136 introduced by the Policing & Crime Act 2017, the guidance was updated and reissued in December 2017. A refresh of the operational guidance has been completed in February 2023, however the original context in relation to the data remains unchanged.
Additional resources:
- Pan London S136 Posters: Individual posters for ED, Police, HBPoS and LAS providing a summary of the key responsibilities as set out in the blue book.
- Pan London S136 Posters ‘Quick Guide’: Individual high level flow chart posters for the ED, Police, HBPoS and LAS of the key responsibilities as set out in the blue book.