❓ Question regarding the transport of mental health patients by police, specifically referencing an incident detailed in the Council of Official Visitors' report. The Minister acknowledges the issue and outlines steps taken to address it, including training for police and plans for non-police transport services.
AnsweredQoN 1028Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
MENTAL
HEALTH PATIENTS — TRANSPORT
1028. Hon LJILJANNA RAVLICH to the Minister for Mental
Health:
I refer to page 16 of the 2011–12 annual report of
the Council of Official Visitors, which states that a consumer was left for
nearly an hour handcuffed in the back of a police van without being offered a
drink or the doors being opened on a day when the temperature was already 30.9 degrees
at 9.00 am. The trip to the hospital had taken about 45 minutes and there was
an unexplained delay of 15 to 20 minutes in moving the consumer from the van to
the ward upon arrival. Triage notes confirmed that the consumer was brought in
from the police van ''dripping in sweat''.
(1) Was the
minister aware of this case; and, if so, when was she made aware of it?
(2) Has the
minister taken any action in the past four years to ensure that police involved
in the transport of mental health patients are appropriately trained and
equipped?
(3) If so, what action has the minister taken; and, if not,
why not?
HEALTH PATIENTS — TRANSPORT
1028. Hon LJILJANNA RAVLICH to the Minister for Mental
Health:
I refer to page 16 of the 2011–12 annual report of
the Council of Official Visitors, which states that a consumer was left for
nearly an hour handcuffed in the back of a police van without being offered a
drink or the doors being opened on a day when the temperature was already 30.9 degrees
at 9.00 am. The trip to the hospital had taken about 45 minutes and there was
an unexplained delay of 15 to 20 minutes in moving the consumer from the van to
the ward upon arrival. Triage notes confirmed that the consumer was brought in
from the police van ''dripping in sweat''.
(1) Was the
minister aware of this case; and, if so, when was she made aware of it?
(2) Has the
minister taken any action in the past four years to ensure that police involved
in the transport of mental health patients are appropriately trained and
equipped?
(3) If so, what action has the minister taken; and, if not,
why not?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for raising the issue.
(1)–(3)
Yes, of course I have read the issues in the annual report of the Council of
Official Visitors around the aspects to do with the concerns raised about the
police and some of the difficulties outlined in each of those issues. I have
had a full briefing on the matter that the member has referred to. I do not
wish to speak on behalf of the Minister for Police or any other agency;
however, I believe that each of the incidents that I have been briefed on—certainly
the briefing notes that I have seen indicate this—have been properly
followed through by all parties involved. Substantial progress has been made on
better co-responses by the police and mental health professionals who are
involved in providing services to people with a mental illness. In the last
three months, a substantial amount of work has been done in designing a
different approach to enable both mental health professionals and police to
work jointly in responding to any particular issues that crop up that are known
to be of a mental health nature.
I think the most substantial work
that has been done about the issue raised by the member is ensuring that the
green bill has a clause in it that indicates that authorised transport will not
have to be done by police in the future; it will be able to be done by a
non-police security service, whether that is a hospital-based service or some
other form of service. This government has put funding into the budget of the
Mental Health Commission to both purchase two of these security vehicles and
provide the staff to provide this secure inter-hospital transport service.
A lot of work has been done on this.
Obviously, it now requires the bill to be passed before we can change the
legislation to enable authorised people other than police to be involved in the
service that is necessary. In the meantime, the police have undergone
additional training in this area and have been involved in looking at some co-response
work that has been undertaken in New South Wales, and that is forming some of
the basis of the work that is taking place in Western Australia at the moment.
(1)–(3)
Yes, of course I have read the issues in the annual report of the Council of
Official Visitors around the aspects to do with the concerns raised about the
police and some of the difficulties outlined in each of those issues. I have
had a full briefing on the matter that the member has referred to. I do not
wish to speak on behalf of the Minister for Police or any other agency;
however, I believe that each of the incidents that I have been briefed on—certainly
the briefing notes that I have seen indicate this—have been properly
followed through by all parties involved. Substantial progress has been made on
better co-responses by the police and mental health professionals who are
involved in providing services to people with a mental illness. In the last
three months, a substantial amount of work has been done in designing a
different approach to enable both mental health professionals and police to
work jointly in responding to any particular issues that crop up that are known
to be of a mental health nature.
I think the most substantial work
that has been done about the issue raised by the member is ensuring that the
green bill has a clause in it that indicates that authorised transport will not
have to be done by police in the future; it will be able to be done by a
non-police security service, whether that is a hospital-based service or some
other form of service. This government has put funding into the budget of the
Mental Health Commission to both purchase two of these security vehicles and
provide the staff to provide this secure inter-hospital transport service.
A lot of work has been done on this.
Obviously, it now requires the bill to be passed before we can change the
legislation to enable authorised people other than police to be involved in the
service that is necessary. In the meantime, the police have undergone
additional training in this area and have been involved in looking at some co-response
work that has been undertaken in New South Wales, and that is forming some of
the basis of the work that is taking place in Western Australia at the moment.
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