Wellington Mental Health Co-Response Team Evaluation - Study Protocol

Police and ambulance services are increasingly the first responders to people in mental distress as mental-health related calls to 111 increase and mental health services struggle to meet the significant increases in demand. Apart from the demands this places on limited police resources, the lack of timely mental health expertise during a crisis negatively affects service users (as described in the next section). This is the protocol of a study aiming to evaluate the implementation of an innovative mental health co-response team (CRT) that is being piloted in the Wellington region. Inspired by successful initiatives in Australia and the United Kingdom, the pilot involves staff from mental health services (MHAIDS 3DHB), Wellington Free Ambulance (WFA) and the Wellington District Police being jointly deployed to respond to 111 calls made by or about someone requiring help in a mental health crisis. From March 2020 for 12 months, the CRT pilot will provide front-line, first-response capability for the provision of in-situ mental health assessments and therapeutic care in a home or community setting rather than the person being transported to an emergency department (ED) or police station for mental health triaging. Our evaluation is a mixed method study. The qualitative components involve direct observation and interviews. The focus of the observation of staff is to understand their processes and procedures, in particular how they approach, manage and then help resolve a mental health crisis with the person and whānau (both CRT and non-CRT practice). Interviews with staff and CRT service users will equally focus on their views and experiences of the CRT. The quantitative components involve comparing de-identified data on 111 calls involving a mental health crisis attended to by (a) the treatment group (CRT), (b) Wellington City Police without CRT and (c) Hutt Valley Area Police without CRT. We will provide descriptive analysis and change data. We will also collect survey data from staff and examine a linked de-identified dataset with health, police and WFA information. Our evaluation study will help service planners understand the benefits and gaps of CRT and ensure that people experiencing a mental health crisis receive optimal mental health care