The Right Care, Right Person Approach

In 2023, Lincolnshire Police decided to implement the RCRP approach with the support of partners, including NHS and Council colleagues. Lincolnshire Police began implementing the first stage, the 'Concern for Welfare' tool, on 18 March 2024. They have identified the 'top ten' concern for welfare demands, where responses may change based on individual factors:

• Reports of people walking in the road, children cycling or drunk people;
• Reports of confused (elderly) or distressed people;
• Reports of people failing to attend appointments (including people leaving A&E with cannulas);
• Children not in school;
• Concerns for people in their homes: people fallen, lifeline calls, not answering the door, unknown if inside the address or not;
• Reports of people collapsing in public places where the circumstances are unknown;
• Reports of concerns for a person whose location is unknown;
• Door entry for EMAS;
• Self-harm/suicide attempt where injury is confirmed;
• Suicidal ideation reported by the person or a third party.

The RCRP approach does not exclude police from responding to emergencies involving someone with a mental health need. However, their involvement is determined by a threshold, which is reached when police need to investigate a crime or protect people at immediate risk of harm.

A partnership approach is required to identify and respond to these changes. Work has not yet been completed around all pathways, so we need to monitor the impact and identify any gaps or risks.

To safely and effectively implement RCRP, we need to record our experiences and outcomes of police contact. This will help us capture best practice and identify any issues or gaps. We have adapted the 'Need to Know' form to include a new section (S.3) to share feedback where the police have used the 'right care, right person' approach, or there is a change to their usual response.

Examples might include:

• Police have been contacted regarding a concern for welfare;
• Police have been asked to support with a person who potentially poses a risk to themselves or others;
• Any other scenarios where you have contacted Lincolnshire Police to request their support in respect of a vulnerable person;
• Any scenarios where others have been redirected to our services by Lincolnshire Police in accordance with a 'right care, right person' approach.

We would like to understand where the process has had a positive outcome for the person, as well as where it needs to be improved to achieve this, and have developed this process to support us in collating this information. Please see below for process map (fig.1) and further guidance:

Guidance on completing the Adult 'Need to know' form is provided on page one of the form which can be found here: Adult Care "Need to Know" Process (sharepoint.com).

IMPORTANT

This process does not replace the existing "Need to Know" process. When an incident occurs that may be politically sensitive, attract media interest, or involve serious injury or death of someone known to adult services, complete the "Need to Know" form. Email it to relevant parties, including DASS, Assistant Directors, and the "Need to Know" inbox (DVD_SAR@lincolnshire.gov.uk) with the subject heading "Adult Need to Know." If RCRP is relevant, complete section 3 of the form for review by the IMR coordinator.

If you have immediate concerns about the police response to live incidents, continue to escalate these by requesting to speak to a supervisor in the Lincolnshire Police control room, then complete the "Need To Know" form. The LSAB escalation policy can be used to resolve ongoing matters.

For any queries or comments related to the Right Care, Right Person approach, please contact Justin Hackney justin.hackney@lincolnshire.gov.uk or Kerry Stacey Kerry.Stacey@lincolnshire.gov.uk.