London Ambulance Service launches specialist mental health crisis response teams across the capital

Four specialist clinicians will be deployed across the city to support people with the "most complex mental health conditions".

Their experience as paramedics, combined with the additional skills and training they receive for the new role, enables them to provide a more in-depth assessment of patients.

It comes as the service received almost 100,000 mental health related calls in 2025 and more than two million people living in the city are reported to experience poor mental health every year.

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Carly Lynch, consultant nurse for mental health at London Ambulance Service, said: “The number of Londoners experiencing a mental health crisis has significantly increased and their needs can be incredibly complex.

“I’m pleased that our clinicians are developing even more specialist skills to care for our patients in crisis. This means we can provide a much more tailored response to patients with acute mental health conditions.

“Working in partnership with universities like City and St George’s, we’re ensuring that our crews have the breadth of skills and knowledge to provide the best care for the nine million people of London. Our crews are always here for them.”

The decision to increase training for the specialist paramedics follows the success of the Mental Health Joint Response teams, where paramedics are paired up with a mental health practitioner to care for mental and physical health conditions.

The training the new specialist clinicians receives means they can better consider other information that affects mental health such as social isolation, trauma responses, substance abuse, medication issues, and sleep deprivation.

They will also spend time in the 999 control room assessing mental health calls to decide which patients might need the life-saving care of one of their colleagues.

LAS Paramedics Kevin Jones and Charlotte Benson are among the clinicians training for this new role.

Kevin said: “Developing advanced skills in mental health will allow me to care for people with both physical and mental health needs during times of crisis across London.

“Mental health is something I’ve been passionate about since becoming a paramedic, and I find the work genuinely rewarding.

“It’s important to involve patients in decisions about their care, advocate on their behalf, and link them into the right community services when they need ongoing support.”

Charlotte said: “This is an exciting opportunity to incorporate my enthusiasm for patient care in an incredibly diverse city like London whilst building on my existing experience caring for some of the most vulnerable people in the capital.“

I am incredibly passionate about ensuring that every patient experiencing a mental health crisis receives the best possible outcomes.

“The training is helping to shape me into a confident practitioner who embodies advanced clinical skills, leadership, education and research.”