Home Office

Noted (AI summary) • A new Statutory Instrument will add a new condition to firearms and shotgun licences to require the holder to inform the police if they begin to suffer from a new relevant medical condition, or if an existing condition significantly worsens, during the lifetime of the licence. • A new licensing condition will require the licence holder to inform the police if they consult a third-party medical practitioner who is not their GP.

Noted (AI summary) The Department of Transport notes that there are no specific statutory guidance or mandatory distance regulations for yellow lines near junctions. The decision rests with the local authority, and traffic signing is devolved to the Welsh Government. The Minister explains police driver training standards, noting that decisions on crewing are operational matters for Chief Constables. Pursuits resulting in a fatality are referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct. South Wales Police acknowledges the concerns about crewing of Road Policing Unit officers during pursuits, but states its training and operational model are designed to ensure public safety and officer competence. They highlight national standards, training, and post-pursuit review processes, while also emphasizing the need to balance operational effectiveness and resource availability, deeming single crewing the most practical option.

Noted (AI summary) The Home Office describes the Police National Database and its use, noting it is a top priority to tackle violence against women and girls and highlighting the new National Policing Centre for VAWG and Public Protection.

Noted (AI summary) Uber Eats uses industry-leading account-sharing detection technology, including real-time identity verification software requiring couriers to take selfies that are compared with their profile photo and monitors for suspicious behaviors that may indicate attempts to circumvent their security controls. Deliveroo has strengthened checks and processes to ensure rider accounts are only used by authorized individuals, including biometric checks and identity verification, and has a dedicated team investigating potential account sharing with minors; they also terminate agreements with riders who allow unregistered substitutes to use their accounts. Just Eat has introduced enhanced checks to ensure substitutes meet requirements set for all couriers, requiring pre-registration, biometric checks, and document submission to prove age and right to work; random biometric screening checks are also performed. HSE acknowledges concerns about rental of permits, employment of minors and lone working, but notes that road traffic accidents are generally a police matter. They highlight existing guidance and legislation, and ongoing work between government and the food delivery industry to improve security checks.

Noted (AI summary) The Home Office is researching the availability of the substance in question and supports the DHSC in delivering the Suicide Prevention Strategy for England. Border Force has issued guidance to officers about control actions regarding goods at the border that may assist with suicide. The Department of Health and Social Care acknowledges the concerns regarding the purchase of sodium nitrite but states that the responsibility for these concerns sits within another organization.

Noted (AI summary) The Home Office acknowledges the concerns about ketamine's classification and potential harm, notes that it will continue to work with partners to discourage misuse and alert people about the dangers of ketamine, and has commissioned the ACMD to provide an updated harms assessment of ketamine.

Noted (AI summary) Hotpoint states it will support the LFB/AMDEA initiative of digital identification and comply with any future industry-wide regulatory requirements. It will also work with government policy makers, regulators, fire services, manufacturers and other stakeholders to continue to raise the bar for appliance product safety in the UK. BSI acknowledges the coroner's concerns and explains its role in standardization. The CPL/61 committee considered the request to improve standards for condensate pumps and filters but needs more information regarding the fire investigation before a decision can be made. AMDEA acknowledges the coroner's concerns and states its commitment to collaborating with stakeholders to enhance product safety. They also note that fire incident data for key appliances is collated annually to identify trends and inform safety improvements. North Yorkshire Council, as primary authority for Hotpoint, states that testing was conducted on the part in question and that it passed all tests. They have arranged for further testing and state Hotpoint will comply with any changes in the law. OPSS is seeking an update from BSI on the progress of a pilot project trialing a fire-resistant marking approach to enable identification of fire-damaged appliances and supporting their traceability. The National Fire Chiefs Council states that receiving information from manufacturers on replaced or recalled parts is not within their remit. They support the single recall register and advocate for manufacturers to share risk assessments when patterns of faults are found. The Home Office acknowledges the report but states it cannot provide a specific response due to a lack of detail regarding which aspects of information management need to change. CTSI acknowledges the coroner's concerns and describes its role in consumer protection and its support for OPSS. It highlights the need for a national approach to product safety and consumer reporting mechanisms.

Noted (AI summary) NHS England acknowledges the coroner's concerns regarding connectivity between mental health services abroad and in the UK, but notes that information sharing cannot be mandated for overseas healthcare providers. They highlight the work of the Regulation 28 Working Group in sharing learnings from PFD reports. The Home Office outlines the Right Care, Right Person (RCRP) approach, which GMP is rolling out, to ensure the right agencies respond to people in need of support, but defers to the College of Policing and GMP for specific issues. NWAS has provided feedback and reflection to the Mental Health Practitioner involved in the incident. They continue to deploy mental health Trust practitioners in NWAS control rooms and directly employ mental health practitioners for triaging calls. The DHSC acknowledges concerns about training for police officers, notification of carers for Mental Health Act admissions, connectivity between international and UK mental health services, GP practice list removals, and communication between mental health agencies, deferring to other bodies on some points and explaining existing policy on others. GMMH has emphasized the notification of carers following admission under the Mental Health Act through daily staff huddles and implemented a process to ensure written information is provided to carers within 72 hours of admission. GMMH will also carry out an audit to ensure staff are following guidance on safe transfers between teams by the end of March 2025. The College of Policing highlights the national 'Right Care Right Person' (RCRP) framework, supported by Authorised Professional Practice (APP) and a toolkit, along with a bespoke e-learning training package. They are in contact with Greater Manchester Police, who are implementing RCRP. The CQC acknowledges the concerns but states that they fall outside of its regulatory remit, particularly regarding GP practices and information sharing between agencies. It outlines its inspection methodology but takes no direct action. Trafford Council has reinforced expectations within Adult Social Care that staff must verify if the Police are responding to a call, reviewed and strengthened safeguarding processes, and invested in mental health management and practitioner capacity. Single agency recommendations from the Safeguarding Adults Review have been actioned. Response contains only blank pages.

Noted (AI summary) West Midlands Police (WMP) has provided additional RCRP training to call handlers and officers and produced an exhibit detailing the escalation point of contact for partner agencies to West Midlands Police. WMP has also emphasised the need for officers to gather information from all sources and record the rationale for decisions made, particularly regarding vulnerable people. NHS England will issue guidance to health systems on reviewing Serious Incident investigations to ensure lessons are learned and changes agreed upon. A national oversight group has been set up to review concerns and issues with RCRP, and this group feeds into a ministerial working group. This is an appendix to the BSMHFT response, specifically the Trust's Missing Patient Policy. It outlines the actions to be taken when a patient is missing or AWOL, relating to Informal inpatients, Detained patients who are AWOL and patients in the community, read in line with National Partnership Agreement: Right Care, Right Person (RCRP). The National Police Chiefs' Council clarifies the aims of Right Care Right Person (RCRP) and states that it appears the situation concerning Mr. Bari was treated as a missing person case from the outset by West Midlands Police, and therefore RCRP principles would not apply. BSMHFT has updated their Missing Persons Policy in line with Right Care Right Person (RCRP) changes, incorporating feedback from the inquest, and a new Executive Director of Quality and Safety/Chief Nursing Officer will be accountable for the policy. The updated policy includes a revised Appendix C form focusing on the reasoning for critical concern and requires formal notification from the police with their decision and reasoning if they have decided not to deploy immediately. The APCC provides background on its role and the role of PCCs in local policing, noting that it has developed guidance for members on the Right Care, Right Person approach. It states that the NPCC is reviewing the report to identify relevant national learning. The Department of Health and Social Care acknowledges the concerns raised, noting that local policies should align with the Mental Health Act Code of Practice and that local partners should reassess joint processes on risk assessment, communication, and escalation. They emphasise the importance of collaboration between policing and health partners. The College of Policing is undertaking a full review of the Mental Health APP, and the points raised in regard to officers having regard to the expertise of mental health clinicians will be included within this review process. They are also working to ensure that the Missing Persons APP is as clear as possible in relation to communication between police and mental health services. The Home Office outlines the rationale and purpose of the National Partnership Agreement (NPA) and notes that decisions on implementation of Right Care Right Person (RCRP) are for individual Chief Constables. They state that missing persons cases are outside the scope of RCRP and existing police procedures should continue to operate.