Mental Health Services on the NHS
There has been a massive increase in people seeking help for mental health issues, and the NHS has responded by offering services. This includes:
The Long Term Plan has made an unrepeatable commitment to increase investment in mental health services more quickly than the NHS budget in general. This will include the work of a specialist in suicide prevention.
Need help?
One of four of us will suffer from a mental health problem at some moment in our lives. The good news is that there are a variety of ways to seek assistance, and the majority of us will improve over time. However, it is important to know what help is available and who can offer it.
You can get help from your doctor, your local health center or a mental health team within your area. These teams are comprised of nurses, occupational therapists psychotherapists, psychotherapists, and speech and language therapists who work with people who use the service. You may receive individual or group therapy depending on the type of help you require.
You will be asked to fill out a form from your GP so that they can refer you to a mental health service in the community. They will also ask you to specify what type of assistance you require. You will then be seen by a member of the mental health team, which may include a psychiatrist, social worker or psychologist. In some cases a clinical nurse specialist will perform your assessment and treatment. If you're experiencing a crisis, you can contact the NHS 111 helpline for urgent assistance. If you're already being assisted by mental health services it's best to contact your regular team first, unless it's out of the normal hours, a weekend or on a bank holiday.
The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health detailed plans to establish multidisciplinary team of mental health professionals in the community that are linked to primary care networks. These teams will improve the quality of the care delivered to people experiencing a crisis, and will provide assistance to patients in their homes and community rather than in hospitals.
The plan also aims to make crisis services more accessible by reducing wait times and opening up more beds. It also proposes the introduction of mental health transport vehicles and make sure that all ambulances have an official who is a mental health liaison in their control rooms to improve the way that those suffering from mental health issues are supported in emergency situations.
Treatment options
The NHS offers a wide array of treatment options for people suffering from mental health problems. Disorders that are less severe are usually treated by GPs and more serious disorders require specialists. These teams operate across both community and primary mental health services and psychiatric hospitals. You can also seek assistance in a secure environment should you be in a state of crisis.
Talking therapies are one of the most common types of treatment for anxiety and depression. These programs, previously known as IAPT (Interactive Assessment and Psychotherapy), have seen their referral numbers increase each year since they first introduced in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan has committed to expanding these services to 1.9 million people by 2023/2024.
Psychiatric medications are another crucial part of treatment. They can help alleviate symptoms by altering the way chemicals work in your brain. They can also help reduce the effects of other treatments. Your doctor will prescribe the appropriate medicine for you.
A wide range of talking therapy options are offered, including group therapy and individual therapy. Some of them are offered in person, whereas others can be delivered via a remote device. Some patients prefer face-to face treatment, but it's an individual choice. There are a variety of charities that offer support groups and classes like Mind. Their website is full of information that is reliable, however you should be aware that there's lots of inaccurate or misleading information available on the internet regarding mental health issues.
The NHS is working to improve mental health care but it struggles to meet demand. There are 54 mental health trusts across the UK, and most of they receive funding from clinical commissioning groups to provide their service. They are usually located in a specific region however, they are also able to be contracted to provide national services.
The lack of resources is a major problem. There are also concerns over the quality of care and there is a shortage of nurses and psychiatrists. The NHS is working to improve the services by introducing new ways of work and delivering more training. It also offers more secure and efficient ways to help people in crisis. These include mobile crisis teams, as well as safe space.
We are here to help you
Since the NHS was launched 70 years ago, there have been positive developments for people suffering from mental health issues. Treatment options have increased and social barriers are being taken down. But there's still a lot to be done.
People who are suffering from a mental health crisis require the ability to get the help they require quickly and easily. The NHS is working to improve services so that people in need are able to access help. By 2020/21, we will make sure that all acute hospitals have a mental health liaison service, both in A&E and on wards for inpatients and that 70% of them will meet the core 24 standard by 2023/24. We will then strive to achieve 100 percent coverage.
We will also expand community services, including talk therapy, in order to provide support for hundreds of thousands of individuals suffering from mental health issues, whether they are severe or common. We will continue to work on the national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) program so that more people can be seen by qualified therapists, quicker.
assessment of mental health offers confidential, free assistance to anyone suffering from mental health issues. Samaritans Mind and Rethink are some of the helplines that are available. These helplines are operated by trained volunteers. They offer an environment where you can talk in a safe manner or provide information and advice on how to tackle your mental health issues.
Additionally there are a variety of local organizations that can provide assistance and support for people with mental health problems. Self-help guides, coping strategies and other activities are available. Many of these organisations also offer support groups that meet face-to-face for those who prefer this method.
The University's Open Door Team offers a drop-in counseling service for students who are experiencing stress or depression. Nightline is a student counseling service that offers confidential listening assistance, information and support from experienced volunteers. Charities like Mind and Rethink can provide many sources of information and assistance, both on the internet and in local groups. They also offer various courses and activities, from mindfulness to art groups which can be helpful for people who suffer from mental health problems.
Making a referral
Mental health services are under pressure and GPs are forced to make difficult decisions about the best specialist services to refer their patients to. The GP will consider the medical history of the patient and refer them to services they believe will be able to assist. They may refer a patient to an NHS trust or an independent provider.
A mental health specialist will then evaluate the referral and decide whether it's appropriate or not. If the specialist isn't satisfied with the referral, they'll contact the GP to discuss their decision and provide why. They may also ask the GP to modify the referral or request additional details.
The ability to refer patients to the local Community Mental Health Team can be made using the NHS e-Referral Service. The system lets doctors and other healthcare professionals to direct patients to a preliminary clinical assessment for mental health or directly to an appointment. However not all CMHTs offer both options and the system can't be used for every type of mental health referral.
A GP may also decide to refer a person to a specialized community mental health service (CMT). These are usually operated by a large local healthcare organization or hospital. CMTs are a great alternative for those looking to consult a qualified psychiatrist or psychologist but don't require inpatient care. They also offer an early intervention program, where a psychiatrist will work with an therapist to help a person overcome a crisis or improve their life quality.
One of the challenges that CMTs CMT is to ensure that all appropriate referrals are made within an appropriate time frame. Many referrals are considered urgent even though they may not be. This can lead to delays and over-working for those who aren't in a crisis.
To address this issue certain CMHTs are working to establish more uniform standards for what is considered an urgent referral. This has been accomplished through the use of the standardised referral forma that requires the referrer to decide if the situation is urgent. The form has a checkbox for the referrer to tick in the event that they believe the referral is urgent.