Members supporting the new Nurse Police Response Team, LPS Constable Spencer Hutchinson and LHSC Registered Nurse Alanna Hayter, are pictured outside of the Community Foot Patrol Office.
September 11, 2025
London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) and the London Police Service (LPS) are working together in partnership to deliver a new Nurse Police Response Team (NPRT).
Comprised of an LHSC Emergency Department registered nurse and a member of the LPS Uniformed Division, the NPRT patrols areas of the city, including the Downtown, Midtown and Old East Village, with the aim of delivering prompt, on-site care to address immediate low acuity health needs, connecting individuals to appropriate services, and promoting community wellness.
These teams respond to appropriate calls for service related to mental health and substance use. By offering support and assistance directly in the community, the program's goal is to redirect individuals from the criminal justice system and reduce the frequency of avoidable visits to LHSC’s Emergency Departments.
“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.”
In our first nine weeks, which started July 11 and went from 2 days a week to 7 days a week as of August 15, the team responded to 148 calls for service and supported the following:
- 165 direct patient interactions
- Delivered wound care to 85 patients
- Assisted in three cases where Narcan was administered to individuals experiencing an overdose
- Provided 72 patients with general education and resources
As a similar model to the one established by Windsor Police Service (WPS) and Windsor Regional Hospital (WRH), which has proven success over a longer-term, we anticipate positive results will continue. Thank you WPS and WRH for your partnership. The addition of the NPRT brings a unique model of care and service delivery to London that emphasizes kindness, compassion, and engagement, while prioritizing safety for the greater community.
"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,” says LPS Chief Thai Truong.