The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) will no longer attend many concern-for-welfare calls from 1 November 2026 under the second phase of the Right Care Right Person (RCRP) policy. The change means police will only respond to such calls where there is an immediate risk to life or serious harm, or where a crime may have been committed. Otherwise, callers will be signposted to health, social care, or community services.

The policy aims to ensure that people receive care from the most appropriate professional. The PSNI currently responds to approximately 30,000 mental health-related calls each year, or about 80 per day, with a significant proportion coming from health workers. Police also receive over 35,000 concern-for-welfare calls annually, many of which do not require a police response.

The first phase of RCRP, a revised Code of Practice to the Mental Health (Northern Ireland) Order 1986, became operational on 1 September 2026. The second phase, covering concern-for-welfare checks, was announced by the PSNI and its health partners after agreement with the Department of Health.

Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson said the change will strengthen joint working with partner agencies, but stressed that the PSNI is not walking away from all mental health incidents. Police will still attend where there is a crime or an immediate risk to life or serious harm.

Health Minister Robbie Butler said the policy is about making best use of resources at a time of significant pressure on health and social care services. He said emergency situations requiring urgent action to protect life or prevent serious harm will remain a police responsibility.

Campaigner Charles Little, whose father-in-law and mother-in-law were killed in their home in 2017 by a man with paranoid schizophrenia, supports the change. He said a police response can be frightening for someone in a mental health crisis and may worsen the situation. Little believes the policy might have helped prevent the tragedy if it had been in place then.

Some health and social care professionals have raised concerns about capacity. Dr Ross Irvine of the Royal College of Psychiatrists said mental health services are at crisis point, with 30 per cent of posts vacant, and warned that the policy removes a safety net currently provided by police. George Hannah of the British Association of Social Workers said members feel the change is being introduced too quickly without sufficient resources in the system.

Northern Ireland Mental Health Champion Professor Siobhan O'Neill said the policy is an important step forward because police were attending calls with no policing issue. She expressed disappointment at the lack of investment in health services to provide an alternative response.

The PSNI said its contact management staff are receiving new guidance, decision-making tools, and training ahead of implementation. All frontline officers and staff must complete mandatory online training.