Mental Health Services on the NHS
The NHS has responded to the rising number of mental health issues by providing services. This includes:
The Long Term Plan reaffirmed its commitment to increase investment in mental healthcare services faster than the overall NHS budget. This will include the work of a specialist in suicide prevention.
Get help
One in four people will suffer from mental illness at one time in their lives. The good news is there are many avenues to seek help, and most of us will improve over time. It is essential to know what assistance is available and who is able to provide it.
You can seek assistance from your doctor or the local health center, or a mental health team in your local area. These teams are comprised of nurses, occupational therapists, psychotherapists and speech and language therapists who work together with those who utilize the service. Depending on the type of assistance you require, you may be offered individual or group therapy.
Your GP will usually ask you to fill in the form so that they can make a referral to a community mental health team. They will also ask what type of assistance you require. You will then be examined by someone from a mental health team, which could include a psychiatrist, psychologist or social worker. In certain instances the assessment and treatment will be performed by a nurse specialist. If you are experiencing a crisis, you can call the NHS 111 helpline for urgent support. If you already receive mental health support, it is best to contact your primary team first, unless it is out of hours, on a weekend or a bank holiday.
The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health included plans to establish more multidisciplinary, place-based community mental health teams that have links to primary care networks. These will help to improve the quality of care that is provided to those experiencing a mental health crisis. They will also provide support in their homes and communities instead of in hospitals.
The plan also aimed at help make crisis services more accessible by reducing waiting times and allowing more beds. It also proposed to introduce mental health transport vehicles and make sure that all ambulances have a mental health liaison nurse in their control rooms to improve the way that people who are having a mental health crisis are helped in times of crisis.
Treatment options
The NHS offers a variety of treatment options to treat mental health issues. GPs typically have the ability to treat less severe conditions, but more severe conditions will require a specialist team. These teams operate across primary and community mental health services, and also the psychiatric hospitals. You can also seek assistance in a safe space if you feel in crisis.
Talking treatments for anxiety and depression are one of the main types of treatment. These programs, previously referred to as IAPT (Interactive Assessment and Psychotherapy), have seen their numbers of clients increase every year since they were first introduced in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan commits to expanding these programs to ensure that 1.9 million people will be able to use them in 2023/2024.
Psychiatric drugs are a different part of treatment. They can help alleviate symptoms by altering the way that chemicals function in your brain. They can be used to reduce the side effects of other treatments. Your doctor will suggest the right medication for you.
There are many kinds of talk therapy, including group therapy and individual therapy. Some of them are offered in person, while others are available via a remote device. Some patients prefer face-to face treatment, but it is an individual choice. There are a variety of charities that offer support groups and classes, such as Mind. Their website has a lot of reliable information, but you should be aware that there's lots of inaccurate or misleading information available on the internet regarding mental health issues.
While the NHS is advancing its mental health care, it still struggles to meet the demands. In the UK there are 54 mental trusts. Most of them receive funding for their services from clinical commissioning groups. They are usually located in a specific region, but they can be commissioned to provide national services.
The lack of resources is a major problem. There are concerns over the quality and availability of nurses and psychiatrists. The NHS is working to improve the services by introducing new methods of working and offering more training. It is also introducing more efficient and safer methods to treat people in crisis including mobile crisis teams and safe places.
Helping you
Since the NHS was established 70 years ago there have been positive developments for those suffering from mental health issues. The options for treatment have grown and social barriers have been smashed down. But there is still more to do.
People who are suffering from mental health issues should get the help they need quickly and easily. The NHS is working to improve services so that people in need are able to access assistance. We will ensure that no acute hospital is without a mental health liaison service in A&E departments and wards for patients by 2020/21. 70 percent of these services will meet the 'core 24' standard by 2023/24, working towards achieving 100% coverage afterward.
We will also expand services for people who need them in the community, which includes talking therapies, to give hundreds of thousands more patients with severe or common mental health conditions the support they require. We will continue to work on the national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) program to ensure that more people are seen by qualified therapists, more quickly.
The NHS offers free, confidential helplines to anyone struggling with mental health issues. These include the Samaritans, Mind and Rethink. assessment of mental health are run entirely by volunteers who provide the opportunity to talk in a secure environment or offer advice and guidance on how to manage your mental health issues.
There are also local organizations that provide help and advice to those who suffer from mental health issues. Self-help guides, coping strategies and other activities are all possible. Many of these organizations offer face-toface support groups for those who prefer it.
The University's Open Door Team offers a drop-in counseling service for students who are struggling or stressed. There's also the Nightline student counselling service that provides confidential listening and support from experienced volunteers, or details about other services. Charities like Mind and Rethink are a excellent source of information and can provide support in a variety of ways such as online and through local groups. They offer a variety of courses and activities from mindfulness to art classes, which are beneficial for those with mental health issues.
Referring someone to you
Mental health services are under pressure and GPs must make difficult choices regarding which specialist services to refer their patients to. The doctor will take into consideration the medical history of the patient and recommend them to services they believe will be able assist. They may send a referral to an NHS trust, or to an independent provider.
A mental health specialist will examine the referral to determine if it's appropriate or not. If the specialist isn't pleased with the referral they will call the GP to discuss their decision and explain the reason. They might request the GP to alter the referral or ask for more information.
The referral to a local Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) can be made through the NHS e-Referral Service (e-RS). The system lets doctors and other healthcare professionals to refer patients to either a preliminary clinical assessment service for mental health or directly to an appointment. However, not all CMHTs provide both options, and the system isn't able to be used for every type of mental health referral.
A GP may also refer a patient to a community mental health specialist service (CMT). These are usually run either by a large hospital or local healthcare organization. CMTs are a great option for those who have to consult a psychologist or psychiatrist but do not require inpatient treatment. They can also provide an early intervention program where psychiatrists work with a psychotherapist to assist a person overcome any crisis or improve the quality of their lives.
One of the biggest challenges faced by CMTs CMT is how to ensure that all suitable referrals are allocated within the appropriate timeframe. One of the issues is that a large number of referrals are deemed as urgent, even though they might not be. This can lead to delays and over-working for people who are not in crisis.
To address this issue, some CMHTs are trying to establish more consistent guidelines for what is an urgent referral. This has been achieved through the use of the standardised referral forma that requires a referrer decide if the situation is urgent. The form includes a box for the referrer to check if they feel that the referral is urgent.