A SPECIAL vehicle has been launched to tackle mental health issues in Mid and South Essex. 

The Mental Health Joint Response Car is staffed by an ambulance clinician and a mental health specialist and can help ensure people with mental health emergencies can get the right care.

The car is the first of its kind on the roads in Mid and South Essex and follows the successful rollout of similar vehicles across the EEAST region. 

The vehicle and emergency clinicians are provided by the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust emergency clinicians while mental health professionals from Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust join the team.  

Dan Phillips, the interim deputy clinical director and consultant paramedic for EEAST, said: "Our clinicians can make assessments about the physical welfare of patients and can provide pre-hospital care, while the mental health professionals have the ability to triage patients straight into mental health services.

"This can avoid people with mental health needs from being taken to Accident and Emergency departments, which are the wrong place for them to be and can cause further distress.

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"This will also have the secondary benefit of freeing up ambulance crews faster and reducing pressure on emergency departments."

Alex Green, chief operating officer at Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, said: "We know that hospital emergency departments are not always the right environment for people experiencing mental health difficulties.

"I’m really pleased to be working with our partners to launch such a vital service for people experiencing mental health crisis across Mid and South Essex, providing urgent care and support for those who need it most, when they need it most."

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Alfred Bandakpara-Taylor, the deputy director of adult mental health for Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Board said: "We are delighted to be working with our NHS partners to provide this innovative joint response care service for people who experience a mental health emergency across Mid and South Essex and make it easier and quicker for people to receive mental health crisis care in the community.

"This new service is a very welcome step in the right direction."