Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly
Police have detailed some of the "inappropriate" requests for help during mental health callouts that they will no longer be responding to.
A briefing shows they told health officials recently they will refuse "inappropriate" requests under a pullback on mental health from November.
Police said from time to time, they received calls from hospitals that should not involve them - though these were not common.
Examples included requests to move patients from room to room within inpatient units, provide a security service to staff who have moderate concerns, uplift elderly dementia patients for mental health assessments, and bring someone who is compliant in to get their medication.
In a statement to RNZ, police manager of health partnerships Matt Morris said: "Police will be applying a new threshold to mental health response matters - in essence, a set of business rules around what police should and shouldn't be involved in."
The pullback supported Health NZ's aim of providing a "least restrictive" and coercive response to people in mental distress, he said.
They were regularly meeting with Health NZ and the Ministry of Health about the plans.
Police plan a four-phase pullback between November and in to next year.
Phase one includes:
- voluntary handovers at emergency departments (ED) - there will be a documented handover of anyone transported by police to ED for a voluntary mental health assessment (not detained under the Mental Health Act), and police will leave soon after
- transportation - this was a routine request, but from November "we will be requiring that mental health services provide more risk planning" first, and the new thresholds will apply;
- mental health facilities - the new threshold will apply for going to facilities "to reduce unnecessary police presence on health premises, especially inpatient mental health units".
