A nurse who works at Essex Partnership University NHS FoundationTrust (EPUT) has been given an award by Essex Police for her dedication, commitment and professionalism whilst saving a man with serious injuries.
Susan Inglis, who works as part of the Street Triage Team together with Essex Police to deal with situations where the expertise of mental health professionals is required, was presented with the Chief Constable’s Certificate of Merit by Detective Supt Baldwin.
Detective Superintendent Kevin Baldwin said: “This was outstanding work from Susan to help a man who was clearly in distress. Her calmness and quick thinking during a very sensitive situation was fantastic and she showed great professionalism under pressure. This really highlights the great work all the nurses from EPUT carry out with our officers in the Street Triage Team. The team, and the work they do, really does have a massive impact and I cannot praise them enough.”
Susan Inglis said: “What I would like to emphasise is that on the night in question I could not have done my job without the support of local officers, it’s good to see that working closely with the police is working and has done for the last couple of years so patients don’t end up in cells or tragically hurting themselves. It’s a wonderful experience working with the police and breaking down some of the barriers with officers and mental health services, educating on what we can realistically do to help a person and learning from them what they are able to do when dealing with a person in crisis so we have more good news stories giving people the appropriate help.”
Street triage involves dedicated mental health professionals working with police officers, to attend incidents and offering professional advice and support to ensure that people receive the most appropriate care and are kept safe.
The Street Triage Team responds to many different incidents involving a variety of individuals of different ages and mental health issues. In instances where police attend a scene and it is thought that an individual is mentally unwell, such a person can be taken to a health-based place of safety.