Triple 0 mental health calls in Victoria to be answered by paramedics not police, Andrews confirms

Paramedics will respond to triple zero calls for mental health support rather than police and emergency services workers will have access to a unique mental health service under a state government plan.

Premier Daniel Andrews said on Thursday that Victoria Police and Ambulance Victoria would work together on how to best implement the change that would result in paramedics acting as first responders to calls for mental health help.

“I think we can have a healthcare response to what is a healthcare issue. And that is much, much better, much safer, and much more effective than a law and order response to a health issue,” Mr Andrews said.

The 3195-page final report from the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System, which was released on Tuesday, found hospital emergency departments were being used as entry points, with people unable to obtain the right treatment when it would benefit them the most.

It recommended that wherever possible health professionals should respond to people experiencing crises rather than police and triple zero calls be diverted to Ambulance Victoria rather than Victoria Police.

Five key recommendations

The Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System published its 3195-page final report on Tuesday. Premier Daniel Andrews has committed to implementing all 65 recommendations made in the report, which include:

• Establish dozens of local adult, youth and child mental health services in a variety of locations, reducing the need for people to travel a long way from home. 
• Create new crisis facilities and “safe spaces” for adults and young people, designed with the help of people with personal experience of psychological distress. 
• Create a new non-government agency led by people with personal experience of mental illness and psychological distress. 
• Throw out the old Mental Health Act and enact a new one preferably by the end of the year, with a primary objective to achieve the highest attainable standard of mental health and wellbeing for all Victorians. 
• Immediately reduce the use of seclusion and restraint in mental health, with the aim of eliminating the practices within 10 years. Immediately ensure compulsory treatment is only used as a last resort.

Mr Andrews also echoed comments made by Police Association secretary Wayne Gatt who said the last thing Victoria needed was a community mental health system that “doesn’t work”.

“People are then left to finish up in absolute crisis, and then all they can see coming at them are people in police uniforms. That is not a great model, that is not a safe model,” Mr Andrews said.

A new $6 million centre devoted to the mental health of emergency service workers will also provide better mental health support services for health workers and volunteers, the Premier said.

Emergency service workers will be able to access the centre with a referral from their GP. The state government also announced the establishment of a free advisory service for health professionals who are caring for emergency workers.

Every emergency service worker, the Premier said, “can tell you ... about cases that they’ve been called out to, jobs that they’ve done where what occurred never, ever leaves them”.

Premier Daniel Andrews with paramedics on Thursday.Credit: Jason South

“What the mental health royal commission tells us is we need to be there for our employees when they need us – this work is not only high volume, 24/7, but it does take a toll.”

Emergency service workers and first responders – including paramedics, police officers, firefighters and search and rescue workers – are more likely to develop serious mental illness as a result of the trauma they endure at work.

Police will continue to attend when safety risks are involved.

Emergency Services Minister Danny Pearson said first responders didn’t want a situation where the first response to someone with a mental health issue was a police response.

“We don’t send police out for a heart attack. We don’t send police out for strokes in the community. We shouldn’t be sending police out as a primary response to mental health – it’s no different,” Mr Pearson said.

He said no ambulance or paramedic staff would be put in a situation where they might be in harm’s way when they were responding to an incident that could be dangerous.

“Our staff are trained well to recognise potentially dangerous situations, so they’re not going to go into a situation where they’re at risk.

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