Ontario Improving Access to Timely Care for Patients in Crisis
In emergency departments across the province, people in crisis are placed under police supervision, often for up to eight hours, until they are admitted under the guidelines set out by the Mental Health Act. Not only can police presence in a hospital be distressing for some patients, police officers are frontline resources that can be better used in their communities, serving the public and not waiting in hospitals. That's why Ontario is encouraging police services and hospitals to work together to improve transitions for patients.