Mental health co-responder launch, Townsville

A specialist program dedicated to responding to emergency mental health calls for service in Townsville has been made permanent following a successful trial.

Minister for Police and Corrective Services and Minister for Fire and Emergency Services the Honourable Mark Ryan MP said the Mental Health Co-Responders program was launched after a very successful 18-month trial.

“Mental Health Co-Responders program allows vulnerable people experiencing a mental health crisis to be assessed in their own home, by an experienced health professional with police in attendance, rather than being immediately diverted to a hospital emergency room to wait for an assessment,” he said.

“During the trial, Queensland Police Service (QPS) and Queensland Health found the service was extremely beneficial to vulnerable people and a significant saving of time and resources.”

Mundingburra MP, Les Walker, said joint training was a critical factor in the programs success.

“Mental health clinicians and police officers involved have undergone joint training to deliver the best result for the patient and the community.

“This cross-agency response delivers timely care to patients in need of crisis mental health support seven days a week, 365 days a year, with the teams rostered on during peak periods each day to maximise the service provided,” Mr Walker said.

Townsville MP, Scott Stewart, said the new program would save time and resources.

““The program delivers quicker assessments to determine the best way to manage the health response while the police officer remains on scene to ensure the safety of the clinician and the person.”

Member for Thuringowa, Aaron Harper, welcomed the initiative becoming permanent.

“This is about providing the best response to mental health issues so that both the person affected gets the best possible care and gets it quickly.”

Queensland Police Union Vice President, Shane Prior, said the program illustrated the effectiveness of frontline staff working together.

“It’s really important that police are able to respond to these matters with the appropriate expert personnel who are then able to provide immediate assistance, care and support to produce better outcomes.”

Townsville Hospital and Health Service (HHS) chief executive officer Kieran Keyes said the co-responder model was improving outcomes for mental health consumers in need of support.

“We know these vulnerable members of our community require specialist support when experiencing a mental health crisis and without it, a call for support usually ends in a visit to the emergency department, compounding an already stressful experience,” Mr Keyes said.

“We ran the trial with QPS over 18 months and it was extremely successful in diverting mental health consumers from the emergency department and allowing them to be assessed and cared for in a more familiar environment.

“With ongoing pressure on the healthcare system as COVID-19 cases rise and influenza now prominent within the community, it is important we continue to find new and innovative ways to deliver care.

“Clients who are not referred to our emergency department do get referred for a follow-up from the acute care team.

“I am grateful the co-responder model has been successful and that we have been able to continue to run it with QPS for the benefit of our community.”

Assistant Commissioner Mark Wheeler said Townsville police district responds to more than 2,000 calls for service each year from vulnerable people experiencing a mental health crisis.

“The majority of those people will be taken to the hospital emergency department, escorted by police who remain with the person until they are medically accessed,” he said.

“During the 18-month trial, 474 people were accessed by co-responder crews in their homes. Of those, more than 412 were referred to support services. That’s more than 400 people diverted away from the emergency room at the Townsville University Hospital.

“The data shows the majority of these people do not need to be transported to a hospital emergency department,” Assistant Commissioner Wheeler said.

Vulnerable Persons Unit Officer in Charge Sergeant Elise Feltham said in the first two months of operation, the mental health co-responder teams have attended 158 incidents.

“In 99 of those cases, the vulnerable person did not need to be admitted to hospital. That is 62 per cent of cases being diverted away from Townsville University Hospital emergency department,” Sergeant Feltham said.

“Transporting the person to the emergency department for assessment can cause the person significant additional stress being taken from their home into an unfamiliar environment during a time of crisis.

“This is a substantial saving of time and resources for both QPS and Queensland Health,” Sergeant Feltham said.

Media contacts 

Minister Ryan’s Office: Ph: (07) 3035 8300

Police Media: Ph: (07) 3015 2444