A Yorkshire based health trust has joined forces with the police to launch an innovative project to help mental health patients when they are experiencing mental health difficulties.
As part of a nation initiative, Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust (RDaSH) and South Yorkshire Police have launched the project called Serenity Integrated Mentoring (SIM).
The SIM project aims to support service users who experience mental health crisis and who frequently access crisis mental health services and emergency services such as the ambulance service, police and accident and emergency departments.
The project aims to provide frontline emergency services with very specific advice, on decision making, for different types of crisis through the provision of response plans written jointly with the service user.
Chris Guest, RDaSH’s SIM Practitioner, said: “The joined up approach means that all services can provide enhanced, compassionate and consistent support to people presenting with complex needs.”
PC Gulshan Akram, Mental Health Officer for South Yorkshire Police, added: “We are pleased to be working closely with our partners for this new project, which aims to further enhance the support given to mental health patients experiencing difficulties. Each response is tailored specifically to an individual with their input, making their needs and welfare the top priorities.”