Keeping mental health patients out of police cells is key to a new £3m strategy, as officers warn the numbers of people in crisis across Cumbria is rising.

Chief Superintendent Mark Pannone, who has been heavily involved in suicide prevention efforts, said in February alone officers dealt with 350 incidents of mental health crisis - a 45 per cent increase on the force’s five year average.

In the past, many of these people ended up police cells - often for their own safety - as officers tried to piece together their background and seek help.

Others found themselves in A&E, despite having no physical injuries, as ambulance crews were left with nowhere else to take them.

But now, following a successful £3m funding bid to the Home Office, a new Multi Agency Crisis Assessment Service has been set up to stop that from happening.

The pilot project is seeing police, health staff, social services and voluntary organisations working together to improve services for patients, largely sharing information so that people get the right help quickly.

One element already working is a single telephone line for police, ambulance and other agencies to access a mental health professional – the Single Point of Access (SPA) line.

A new unit is also being set up at Carlisle’s Carleton Clinic, combining three short stay beds, assessment rooms and a place of safety for those who it is feared may harm themselves. This provides an alternative for police and ambulance staff and ensures patients are seen in an environment sensitive to their condition.

In addition, a separate community crisis hub is being established in the city, working alongside Mind and the Glenmore Trust. This provides somewhere that people can go to for advice about their mental health and to seek help in a crisis.

If successful, it is hoped to secure further funding after the first year to roll the project out further across all parts of Cumbria.

Ch Supt Pannone explained why it is so important. “Police officers come across people in crisis fairly regularly, and that is increasing.

“Unfortunately a lot of people end up in police cells. These are not nice places for anyone but particularly if you are in crisis,” he said.

The innovative approach sees police and ambulance crews working closely with mental health and social work staff to identify quickly whether a person is already in the system and has a support plan in place. It reduces delays, and having the new unit means that if they need further assessment, that can take place on site.

Stuart Beatson, a consultant psychiatrist and associate medical director for mental health at Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, said they are already seeing improvements as a result of the initiative.

“With the Single Point of Access line it means the professional involved, for example a nurse in A&E, can pick up the phone and get straight through to a mental health nurse. It’s getting the right help as quickly as possible,” he said.

Mr Beatson added that the new system is also helping to ease pressure on A&E departments, as patients can be diverted to a more appropriate setting.

Ch Supt Pannone said it is not clear exactly why the number of cases of mental health crisis is rising, but it is a national problem as well as Cumbrian.

“One in three people will suffer from a mental health problem during their lifetime, but people do not necessarily know where to go when they get into crisis so they contact the police, or it happens quickly. There are also wider life issues such as employment, or problems with benefits,” he explained.