Deaths linked to new crisis care policy

Coroners have issued multiple warnings about deaths linked to police refusing to respond to people in mental health crisis, prompting fresh concerns about “gaps in support”.

Several coroners have raised concerns about the “Right Care, Right Person” (RCRP) policy – agreed across the police force and NHS – since it was introduced nationally in 2023. This includes two new Prevention of Future Death reports issued during the same week.

The policy was introduced despite concerns in the NHS and from patient groups, after police forces said they were attending far too many incidents of people in mental health crisis. They argued they were under huge demand pressure and that these calls should be the responsibility of the NHS. However, health services are also often unable to respond.

Rebecca Sutton, assistant coroner for County Durham and Darlington, said in her report into the death of Sophie Cotton that there was “a refusal to the request that the police attend, even when a family member was expressing the view that there was a real and immediate risk to life”. Ms Cotton died by suicide in January this year, and was found after her family forced entry into her house, hours after they raised serious concerns about her welfare.

Ms Sutton also said the RCRP advice to contact mental health services “appears to have disregarded the fact that the mental health crisis team do not have the power to enter locked premises”.

In response to the recent coroners’ concerns, a National Police Chiefs’ Council spokesperson told HSJ: “We are closely monitoring any comment from coroners on RCRP to ensure that if there is any learning for policing or our partners, that it is disseminated nationally.”

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Source: HSJ, 24 June 2025