This report and its appendices provide information to support the Health, Care, and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee’s scrutiny of the West Mercia Police ‘Right Care, Right Person’ policy.

The committee considered a report on West Mercia Police’s ‘Right Care, Right Person’ (RCRP) policy.

The slide pack was published as part of agenda: Link to the 'Appendix 1 for West Mercia Police 'Right Care, Right Person' policy. The slides presented by the Assistant Chief Constable (West Mercia Police) are outlined below (in italics), with the principal points noted below.

A The Assistant Chief Constable introduced the presentation and welcomed the opportunity to update the committee on the policy of ‘Right Care, Right Person’. The committee was advised that the policy has evolved over time since its inception as ‘Most Appropriate Agency’ in 2023.

B The Assistant Chief Constable presented:

RCRP in a nutshell

b.1 Clarifications were provided around what assistance is provided by the agency which is most appropriate to deliver the required service or support that is required.

b.2 The Assistant Chief Constable noted that the police is often the requested service to deliver a particular service, however, there are situations where an alternative agency would be more appropriate to deliver that service.

b.3 RCRP has evolved since its creation by Humberside Police and whilst the police remain as the default first responder in most cases, other agencies who are more appropriate to deal with other calls, such as health, are able to deal with those situations. This can help improve outcomes, and ensure that the right care is therefore delivered by the right person.

RCRP

b.4 RCRP involves collaboration with a number of different agencies with an emphasis on tailored responses to individual needs, where possible.

MAA - > RCRP

b.5 West Mercia Police’s adoption of RCRP began with ‘Most Appropriate Agency (MAA)’ in April 2023. It has since been changed to become more aligned with the national RCRP approach.

b.6 ‘RCRP+’ continues this approach but goes further where the principles of the policy are applied to other areas where other agencies may be better suited to delivering specific services.

Understanding our Legal Responsibilities

b.7 The policy of RCRP aligns responses with the police’s legal duties and other appropriate agency roles.

Understanding Demand?

b.8 With demand being higher in certain areas, it is even more important to ensure that the right skills, training, expertise, and experience are matched to the specific needs of individuals.

b.9 The response required, therefore, will be different according to which agency can best respond.

Concerns and Emerging Narrative

b.10 The reporting of RCRP has caused some concern amongst partners and the public, however, it is important to note that RCRP is not primarily about reducing demand for policing and the police will still have an involvement in mental health and concern for welfare cases where it is needed.

b.11 Collaboration with other agencies and partners is about identifying gaps in service provision, especially as this can help address needs that are better served by other agencies.

b.12 It is important to note that the policy of RCRP can still vary according to location and therefore it accounts for different structures, geographies and demography.

RCRP Strategic Steering Group – next steps

Tactical Scrutiny Boards – Proposal

The principal points of the subsequent discussion included:

i.                Comments were made about the policy’s implementation with respect to Herefordshire and it was noted that the rurality of the county could enable the usage of technology such as phone-based welfare checks by social care, with the police being reserved for emergencies.

ii.              In response to a question about how RCRP ensures that the ‘right person’ responds to a call, there was emphasis on triage and how calls could be matched to specialists, including for example social workers for welfare checks. This could be achieved by using a shared database of local resources and regular partner feedback allowing misallocations, such as police being sent to non-urgent cases, to be avoided.

iii.             In addition, committee members noted the challenges in getting hold of suitably qualified personnel to address mental health emergencies, especially in Herefordshire and at weekends.

iv.             It was added that under RCRP, partnerships between different stakeholders could be represented at the Strategic Steering Group in which priorities can be best aligned.

v.              In response to a question about what challenges may arise in the alignment of priorities and capabilities between partners under RCRP, it was noted that challenges in Herefordshire, as well as nationally, may include limited mental health resources, for example. Where there are gaps in service provision, collaboration with third-sector partners for lower-level interventions could prevent requests being escalated to the police and other front-line services.

vi.             In addition, it was noted that prevention plays a critical role in enhancing the effectiveness of RCRP by reducing the need for escalation and ensuring that individuals receive appropriate support before their situations potentially deteriorate into crises requiring police or emergency intervention. Such an upstream approach helps support the principles of RCRP by ensuring the ‘right care’ by the ‘right person’ at the earliest stage possible.

vii.            In response to a comment about the timelines that could affect the adoption of RCRP, it was noted that the pace could have been affected by the funding challenges that have affected other partners.

Prior to a short adjournment, the Vice-Chairperson thanked the Assistant Chief Constable for attending and presenting the RCRP item.