Mental health nurses in Ipswich are saving lives by working directly with police, who until recently were hard-pressed responding to the growing number of people in the city threatening to commit suicide.

Key points: At least half the cases nurses attend in Ipswich involve threats of self-harm

At least half the cases nurses attend in Ipswich involve threats of self-harm Police said a third of the cases related to young people

Police said a third of the cases related to young people About 90 per cent of people seen by the nurses are treated at home

In a program that is the first of its kind in Queensland, police in Ipswich, west of Brisbane, now take a nurse with them to respond to triple-0 calls believed to be related to mental health.

The scheme has the added benefit of reducing ambulance ramping and hospital patient numbers, as 90 per cent of people seen by the nurses so far have been treated at home.

Sergeant Leon Margetts said police realised what they were doing was not working.

"It wasn't enough, so we had to do something different," Sergeant Margetts said.

"Demand is definitely there, our calls to service have increased dramatically over the years in relation to mental health-type jobs.

"We were a little bit surprised, the trials have shown that 36 per cent of our calls related to services related to juveniles."

One of the Ipswich program's two mental health nurses, Janet Brack, said they were saving lives "without a doubt".

"I genuinely believe this program has made a bigger difference in the community than anything I have seen over my 30 years in mental health," she said.

"People appreciate they are not going be dragged off to hospital, that it is not a police response — that it becomes an appropriately medical response, not an arresting response."

The nurses are picked up from Ipswich hospital by a police car responding to an emergency call relating to mental health.

By the time they arrive on location, another police crew will have ensured the scene is safe and paramedics have ensured there is no imminent medical threat.

From there, Ms Brack or her colleague take over, meaning the ambulance and the first responding police car can attend their next jobs.

"What police do is they don't sit down, obviously, so I get there, people tend to be standing around in a big group and that is quite intimidating," Ms Brack said.

"You do need to make it comfortable. I tend to make it about me — I say, 'well I can't stand up for too long so shall we sit down,' because that does automatically make people more comfortable when they are sitting."

Nurse Janet Brack said at least half of the cases in Ipswich were suicide threats. ( ABC News: Lucy Murray )

She said at least half of the cases they have attended in Ipswich were people threatening to take their own life.

"Initially what I do is I just let them talk," Ms Brack said.

"I am there because this person has a story to tell, and they need someone to listen to this story.

"It often feels like we are just having a bit of a chat over coffee, but in reality that whole process is a mental health assessment, so throughout that entire conversation I will be listening to the cues I need."

She said she then sought to determine whether the person had intent to harm themselves and a plan in which to carry it out.

"You do feel the big weight of it … your decision affects that person's life," she said.

"We can't fix any of the problems they have that are causing them to feel this way, we can only help them with getting support to look at what they are going to do about the problems."

In the days following an incident, Ms Brack and her nursing colleague in the scheme follow up with the people they had seen to ensure they received the help they needed.

"They are more likely, we find, to link with the services we advise them to because you've already built a level of trust," she said.

Police bodycam image of Ms Brack assessing the state of a man's mental health. ( Supplied: QPS )

Taking pressure off police

Before the scheme started, police would take anyone in this situation to hospital, sometimes in handcuffs, and sit with them until they were assessed — a process stressful for the person concerned and demanding up to three hours of an officer's time.

It also meant police could get back out on patrol much sooner.

"Around about 12 minutes [later] they are being released back to their normal job, so that is a big plus for us," Sergeant Margetts said.

He said the scheme had also improved the way police dealt with people in crisis.

"There has been a real flow-on effect and a transfer of knowledge from the mental health nurse to the police officer," he said.

"It is sort of on-the-job training, they are getting better at dealing with mental health situations."

Program to be replicated

The two mental health nurses in the Ipswich trial share a heavy load, each working five days a week from 3:00pm until 1:00am, each working every second weekend.

But Queensland Health Minister Steven Miles has voiced support for an expanded program, saying it would save money in the long run.

"Sure, there is an expense in these two staff members, but that is an expense that would have been occurred, probably more, than if that patient was brought to the emergency department," Mr Miles said.

"I think other police services right across the state will be looking to Ipswich and West Moreton [health district] to see what they have done here and see what they can learn about the way they address mental health issues in their communities."

Mr Miles said while there was a particularly high prevalence of mental health issues in Ipswich, demand for mental health services was also increasing across the state.