Since July 2015 Thames Valley Police working in Berkshire West (Reading, West Berks and Wokingham) have been able to call on a mental health professional when called upon to deal with mental ill health. A mental health professional from Berkshire Healthcare Foundation Trust (BHFT) will be available to police from 5pm to 1am from Thursday to Monday (5 days a week). The aim of the project (funded by the Department of Health) is to minimise the use of police custody as a place of safety for those suffering from mental ill health and to improve police interactions with those suffering from mental ill health. The mental health professionals are there to attend incidents with police officers so they can offer face-to-face advice, make accurate risk assessments and give the right care to the patient.