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Posted on 12 Mar 2021

Radio host Roman Kemp has showcased the joint work of police and mental health nurses who deal with potential suicide victims as part of a new documentary set to air next week.

The I’m A Celebrity star visited Nottinghamshire Police headquarters last month to film his programme about male suicide and mental health.

“Roman Kemp: Our Silent Emergency”, is a candid and personal exploration of mental health and suicide in young men, and the effect it has on those left behind. The programme, which will be shown on BBC prime time next week, came about following the death of his close friend and producer Joe Lyons, who suddenly and unexpectedly passed away last August. 

It is due to air at 9pm on 16 March 2021 on both BBC One and BBC Three and will show Roman joining the street triage team on a night shift as they provide emergency help to vulnerable people in need of immediate mental health support.

The programme will explore what can be done to encourage people to seek help and what preventative action can be taken. It will also look at the lasting impact that mental health issues and suicide can have on the friends and families of those involved.

Roman filmed with the award winning street triage team – one of the first to be set up nationally consisting of police officers and adult mental health nurses – to highlight the help that is out there for when people need it most.

The team joins up police officers with mental health practitioners to respond to calls where members of the public are in distress. Together they provide a specialist response to people with mental health issues, who come into contact with the police and are in need of urgent help.  

Examples include incidents when members of the public threaten to jump off city centre car parks, as the team is tasked with responding to immediate threats to life and limb.
Roman said: “Being with the team was amazing and truly awe-inspiring. It is was great to meet the team and see the work they do to help people when they are at the lowest point in their lives.

“There is no doubt a team like this saves lives which otherwise might have been lost and well done Nottinghamshire for realising this is needed. It was a privilege to witness their work as part of my documentary exploring male suicide.

“There is a growing mental health crisis going on right now, and without the right support, the results can be tragic. I hope that by making this documentary for the BBC we can bring attention to a subject that is affecting thousands of young men across the country, and show that there are ways to reach those who are suffering and need our help.”

In the documentary Roman accompanies nurse Louise Chapman from Nottinghamshire Healthcare and PC Dan Gilbert as they visit a man who had made an attempt on his life. He was located by the team at home where they assessed his mental health. He also observed a call out to a man who had taken an overdose, left their home and would not engage with ambulance staff. The team were able to speak to him on the phone, get his location and get officers to him, ultimately being able to persuade him to go to hospital where they stayed to help limit his anxiety.
Other jobs that night included concerns for a suicidal 13 year old boy and a 16 year old who told parents he was suicidal.

Louise said: “It was a delight to go out with Roman and show him what we do. We have been seeing that some people’s difficulties are becoming more severe as the challenges posed by lockdown add to pre-existing conditions. We are here to help people realise there are alternatives to ending their lives and while the situations can seem scary that we attend, we know our work is vital to helping save lives.”

Police Sergeant Anthony Horsnall, Mental Health Coordinator at Nottinghamshire Police, who has recently been presented with a High Sheriff medal for the work of the team, added: “Isolation, loneliness and financial security are all factors which impact on people’s mental health. When you add poor coping mechanisms to that – such as drinking more – this can lead to an increase in mental health related calls to police.
“If you are struggling, and particularly if you have suicidal thoughts, I urge you to seek help. There is support available and you are not alone.”
Chief Constable Craig Guildford, from Nottinghamshire Police said: "The vast majority of incidents that we deal with are routed in mental health issues. We regularly have to go out to situations where people are at breaking point.
“The street triage team has been instrumental here in Nottinghamshire as it has the ability to quickly de-escalate a crisis. It has radically reduced the number of people in hospital with mental health issues, as the nurse can help them there and then - rather than overload the hospital services which are already struggling and it has helped to prevent crimes.
“I am pleased the excellent work which has been done by the team is being recognised nationally in this documentary and if this can help people that can only be a good thing. It was also very nice to welcome Roman to the force last month and thank you to him for showcasing the joint work we are doing as police and health.”
The joint mental health street triage team, is a partnership between Nottinghamshire Healthcare, Nottinghamshire Police and the local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). It was setup to provide a more integrated response to calls to police about mental health emergencies and help reduce the number of people living with mental health issues being unnecessarily held in police custody for their own safety.
The approach sees teams working across Nottinghamshire, with each crew made up of a psychiatric nurse who works alongside officers in a marked police vehicle to provide a more coordinated response to police incidents where members of the public are experiencing a mental health crisis. 

Julie Attfield, Executive Director of Local Mental Health Services at Nottinghamshire Healthcare said:  “The street triage team has made and continues to make a huge difference to people at a time when they are at their most vulnerable and in need of immediate help.  Our mental health nurses, working with the specially trained officers, assess and help people on the spot reducing detentions under the Mental Health Act and the need to take people to a police setting which often is not appropriate.  The team do an amazing job of delivering compassionate care in some desperate situations and particularly when people feel that their only option is to end their life, I have seen first-hand how they can make someone realise they are not alone, there is help available and we are here to support them.”

Since its development in 2014, the service has been hugely successful in reducing the number of patients detained under the Mental Health Act and also signposting patients to appropriate services. Find out more https://www.nottinghamshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/street-triage