The chairman of the region's mental health trust has called for greater clarity over the police's controversial new approach to welfare checks. 

As of May, Norfolk Constabulary has adopted the 'Right Care Right Person' approach, which has seen changes to the way the force responds to calls relating to mental health.

Under the policy, officers only attend calls when there is judged to be an immediate risk of harm or death - with callers instead signposted to other organisations such as the NHS for support. 

Campaigners have voiced serious concerns about the policy, fearing people in crisis were being put at greater risk of harm.

NHS bosses have also spoken of their own fears about the phasing of the approach.

Now, Zoe Billingham, chairman of the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, has called for greater clarity over when people should contact the police.

At a meeting of the trust's board of directors, she said: "We have met with the police and crime commissioner and the chief constable and it was an extremely positive, productive meeting.

"We are planning to ensure there is absolute clarity on what the community should do if people are in crisis or a risk to themselves.

"It is always the role of police in moments of crisis to save life and limb and that is clearly accepted [by the force].

"But there needs to be real clarity so people know when they ought to call 999.

"It is not the case that the police do not do mental health jobs any more."

The RCRP approach is a model of policing which was piloted in Humberside and is being rolled out across other police forces across the country.

The Norfolk rollout was initially paused following the tragic deaths of four family members in Costessey in January - but came into effect in May.