Hackney mental health street team featured in BBC show scoop NHS award

Mental health professionals whose work helping people in distress on the streets of Hackney has been highlighted by the BBC have now been crowned “team of the year” by their NHS trust.

The City and Hackney Mental Health Street Triage Team scooped the gong at the annual East London Foundation Trust (ELFT) award night earlier this month.

It comes after a busy year for the staff, whose work was showcased on Inside Out London last week. The team go out on police patrols at night and have helped reduce the number of people detained under the Mental Health Act.

They have diverted 299 possible section 136 detentions into other pathways of care, relieving the pressure on A&E and allowing resources to be used elsewhere, while also preventing the stress caused by someone having to be detained.

Chief nurse Lorraine Sunduza said: “The team are an inspiration, both in terms of their dedication and hard work in situations that can sometimes be very unpredictable, as well as showing how such a project can become a model of good practice nationwide.

“They do it because they care, and because they want to make a difference.”