09/10/2025
What a great initiative to see in our region! People living with addictions and mental health concerns often need support - not punishment! By addressing medical needs with medical professionals, we’re one step closer to de-stigmatizing and de-criminalizing mental health struggles.
LONDON POLICE SERVICE AND LONDON HEALTH SCIENCES CENTRE ROLL OUT THE NEW NURSE POLICE RESPONSE TEAM
LONDON, ON (September 10, 2025) – The London Police Service (LPS), working in collaboration with London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC), is excited to announce the creation of the Nurse Police Response Team (NPRT-RN).
On Friday, July 11, 2025, registered nurses joined members of the LPS Uniformed Division while they patrolled areas of the city, including the Downtown, Midtown and Old East Village.
These teams will address calls for service related to mental health and substance use. The program's goal is to redirect individuals from the criminal justice system and hospital emergency departments by providing proactive healthcare and supportive services.
"This partnership reflects our commitment to innovation in policing. By pairing nurses with frontline officers, we are bringing health care directly to the people who need it most. It is about building trust, improving safety, and advancing our shared goal of a healthy, vibrant core in the City of London,” said Chief Thai Truong.
“Through this model we shift our front door into the community, with a focus on underserved communities, to extend care services beyond our physical walls and meet people where they are,” says Deborah Wiseman, Vice President, Medicine, Emergency Services, Critical Care, Clinical Neurological Sciences & Corporate Nursing Executive at LHSC. “This is filling an important gap where we can not only reduce avoidable visits to our emergency departments, but we can also improve overall health outcomes for members of our community who, for many reasons, may have difficulty accessing stable health resources.”
“This is a great example of the innovation and forward-thinking that has been emblematic of the London Police Service and London Health Sciences Centre,” said Mayor Josh Morgan. “It will ease the burden on our hospitals by bringing on-site medical expertise directly to those who need it, along with vital support to officers when working with our most vulnerable citizens.”
During the project period, which expanded from two days a week to seven days a week, the team responded to 148 calls for service, directly interacting with 165 patients. Of these, 47 were medical assistance calls, 85 patients received wound care, and in 3 cases Narcan was administered to individuals experiencing an overdose.
Throughout the project 72 patients received general education, and resources were provided to them.
Stay tuned to our social media channels in the coming weeks for a video giving an inside look of the Nurse Police Response Team in action.
Read the release on our website here: https://www.londonpolice.ca/news/posts/new-nurse-police-response-team/
