Philip Battle
25 Nov 2022 · Coroner Andre Rebello · Liverpool and Wirral
The coroner's concerns
1. lack of mental health risk assessment during triage
“Evidence has been received that [the deceased] self-referred to the ambulance service stating he had taken and overdose and that he had tried to hang himself. The then triage system (medical priority dispatch) concentrated on questions relating to physical health such as his physiological function rather than assessing the actual presenting risks from poor mental health including self-inflicted fatal harm”
2. lack of safety contact verification
“no inquiry was made about whether someone could be telephoned to check on his safety”
3. absence of mental health triage car deployment
“there was no call to Merseyside Police to see if its Mental Health triage car was available to intervene”
4. absence of shared mental health intervention resources
“these services need commissioning and there was no arrangement between Merseyside Police and the NWAS to share mental health intervention resources”
5. lack of coordinated community mental health crisis intervention resources
“The Court would like the ambulance service, Police and health providers to work together with the public funds at their respective disposal to develop in concert and to share community mental health crisis intervention resources for the good of the public”
Responses
2022-0381-Response-from-Meryside-Police-.pdf ↗· North West Ambulance Service
Stated action
“Merseyside Police are committed to working effectively with Blue Light partners, however, having considered the issues and discussed them with NWAS we do not believe that a joint operability model is appropriate for the Merseyside communities that we serve.”
2022-0381-Response-from-North-West-Ambulance-Service-.pdf ↗· North West Ambulance Service
Stated action
“NWAS and Merseyside Police provide each other with invaluable support and assistance on a daily basis. However, the demands faced by each service are very different, as too are the nature of the calls meaning that the call triage systems, categorisation and dispatch processes are distinct from each other. It is crucial that the respective mental health response vehicles reflect and meet the needs of the two very different services.”