New South Wales will send specialist nurses rather than police to some mental health emergencies after the state announced long-fought-for reform in the wake of multiple deaths at the hands of police. Rose Jackson and Yasmin Catley, the mental health and police ministers, announced on Thursday a statewide change to how triple zero calls are triaged, with a new team of mental health experts assessing mental health calls 24/7 in a bid to provide better support. This will be bolstered by eight new mental health teams that will provide a health-led response to call-outs and include a paramedic and specialist mental health nurse. Police and government had been under pressure to enact reforms after fatalities while people were in mental health distress. But, she said, “a front door is only useful if there’s a house behind it” and urged more funding for community mental health support.