Prehospital care · Mental health · England and Wales
Mental health toolkit for paramedics
Practical guides for assessing, supporting and making decisions for patients in mental health crisis, in the order you meet them on scene. The pages are being released one at a time.
Start here: capacity and consentTest whether a patient can make a decision, what to do next, and who can do what.
2 of 23 pages live
Assessment
Live
How to ask, structured prompts, what to do straight away, and how to record it. Follows NICE NG225.
Build next
Delirium, hypoglycaemia, hypoxia, sepsis, head injury, drugs, alcohol and medicines that mimic mental illness.
Planned
Appearance, behaviour, speech, mood, thoughts, perception and insight, in a form you can use at the roadside.
Planned
Low mood, anxiety and panic, psychosis, mania, personality disorder, eating disorders, PTSD, and autism in crisis.
Communication
Planned
What to say, what to avoid, using space and positioning, and when to step back.
Planned
Young people, dementia, veterans, learning disability, deaf patients and non-English speakers.
Law and pathways
Live
The capacity test, refusal of care, under-18s, best interests, and who can do what.
Build next
Sections 2, 3, 4, 135 and 136, who can use them, and the Mental Health Act 2025 changes as they come in.
Build next
MCA, MHA, voluntary conveyance or non-conveyance: which fits which patient.
Planned
Health-based places of safety, A&E, liaison teams, crisis teams and street triage.
Planned
A structured handover for mental health patients so the receiving team gets what they need.
Capacity deep dives
Planned
Overdose with refusal, hypoglycaemia, dementia, intoxication, and fluctuating capacity.
Planned
Is the document valid and applicable, ReSPECT forms, and relatives who say what the patient would want.
On scene practicalities
Planned
Proportionality, working with police, positioning, risks, and what to record.
Planned
Children, vulnerable adults, domestic abuse, coercion and how to refer.
Planned
Risk, capacity, best interests and refusal record templates with copy buttons.
Planned
Your area’s clinical desk, liaison, AMHP and crisis numbers, kept up to date.
Looking after yourself
Learning resource only. It does not replace JRCALC, your trust’s policies, the Mental Capacity Act and Code of Practice, the Mental Health Act and its Code of Practice, or senior clinical advice. Always check the current local guidance.
Quick Overview
- 3 minute read
- Intermediate level
- Updated 14 Oct 2026
Key Learning Points
- Assessment
- Communication
- Law and pathways
- Capacity deep dives
- On scene practicalities
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