Mental Health Services on the NHS
There has been a huge rise in people seeking help for mental health issues and the NHS has responded by providing services. This includes:
The Long Term Plan reaffirmed its commitment to invest more in mental health services more quickly than the overall NHS budget. This will include specialist work in suicide prevention.
Getting help
One in four people will be affected by a mental illness at some point during their lives. The good news is that there are many ways to get assistance, and the majority of us will improve over time. It is important to know the types of help available and who can provide it.
You can get help from your doctor or the local health center or mental health team in your community. These teams are comprised of nurses, occupational and psychotherapists, as well as speech therapists. They work with clients who seek their services. Depending on the type of assistance you require you might be provided with individual or group therapy.
Your GP will typically require you to fill out the form to make a referral to a community mental health team. They will also ask you what kind of support you need. You will then be examined by a member of the mental health team, which may comprise a psychiatrist social worker or psychologist. In some cases the assessment and treatment will be performed by a specialist in clinical nursing. You can call the NHS 111 helpline for assistance if you're in crisis. If you are already receiving support for your mental health it is recommended to contact your regular team first, unless it is out of office hours, on a weekend or a bank holiday.
The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health detailed plans to create multidisciplinary, community-based mental health teams that are linked to primary care networks. These will help to improve the quality of the care delivered to people who are experiencing a mental health crisis. They will also offer assistance within their communities and homes rather than in hospitals.
The plan also aims to make crisis services more accessible by decreasing wait times and allowing more beds. It would also introduce a mental transport vehicle and ensure that all ambulances are equipped with a mental liaison nurse in the control room to improve how people experiencing a mental crisis are supported during emergency situations.
Treatment options
The NHS provides a variety of treatment options for mental health conditions. Less severe disorders are often treated by GPs and more serious conditions require specialists. These teams operate across primary and community mental health services and also mental health hospitals. There are also click here for more where you can seek help when you're in a crisis.
Talking treatments for anxiety and depression are one of the main treatments. Previously referred to as IAPT, these programs have seen the number of people who seek them increase each year since they were introduced in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan commits to expanding these services to ensure that 1.9 million people can access them by 2023/2024.
Psychiatric medications are another crucial component of treatment. They can help alleviate symptoms by altering the way the brain's chemicals function. They can be used to reduce the side effects of other treatments. mental health check will suggest the best medication for you.
There are many kinds of talk therapies, such as group therapy and individual therapy. Some of them are offered in person, whereas others are available remotely. Some patients prefer face to face treatment, but it is an individual choice. There are a variety of charities that provide classes and support groups like Mind. Their website is full of reliable information, but you should be aware that there is lots of misleading or false information on the internet about mental health issues.
While the NHS is advancing its mental health services, it still struggles to keep up with demand. In the UK there are 54 mental trusts. The majority of them receive funding for their services from clinical commissioning group. They are usually located in a particular region however, they are also able to be contracted to provide national services.
The absence of resources is a major issue. There are concerns about the quality and availability of nurses and psychiatrists. The NHS is trying to improve the quality of care by offering more training and introducing new methods of working. It also provides more secure and efficient methods to treat those who are in crisis. This includes mobile crisis teams, as well as safe spaces.
Supporting you
Since the NHS was launched 70 years ago there have been numerous positive developments for people suffering from mental health issues. The treatment options have increased and social barriers have been broken down. But there is still more to do.
People who are suffering from mental health issues should receive the help they require quickly and easily. The NHS is working to improve its services to ensure that those who need them are able to access assistance. We will ensure that no acute hospital does not have a mental health liaison service in A&E departments and inpatient wards by 2020/21, and that 70% of these services will meet the 'core 24' standard by 2023/24. Then we will work towards achieving 100% coverage afterward.
We will also expand services for people who need them in the community, such as psychotherapy, in order to provide hundreds of thousands more people suffering from severe or common mental health conditions the support they require. We will continue to develop our national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme (IAPT) in order to ensure that more people suffering from mental health problems are seen faster by therapists who are qualified.
The NHS provides free, confidential helplines for anyone suffering from mental health issues. Samaritans Mind and Rethink are some of the helplines available. These helplines are run entirely by volunteers who provide a safe place to talk or offer advice and guidance on how to deal your mental health issues.
There are a variety of local organizations that provide assistance and support to those with mental health issues. Self-help guides, coping strategies and other activities are all possible. Many of these organizations provide support groups in person for those who prefer it.
The University's Open Door Team offers a drop-in counseling service for students who are feeling down or stressed. Nightline is a student counselling service that offers confidential listening assistance, information and support from knowledgeable volunteers. Charities like Mind and Rethink are a great source of information and offer support in many forms such as online and through local groups. They can also offer many classes and activities, ranging from mindfulness to art classes, which may be useful for those living with mental health issues.
Referrals
Mental health services are under pressure and GPs must make difficult decisions about which specialist services they should refer their patients to. The GP will look at the medical history of the patient and refer them to services they believe will be able to help. They may refer a patient to an NHS trust or an independent provider.
A mental health professional will then evaluate the referral and decide whether it's appropriate or not. If the specialist isn't satisfied with the referral they will call the GP to discuss their decision and provide the reason. They can also request the GP for more details or to change the referral.
Referrals to a local Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) can be made through the NHS e-Referral Service (e-RS). The system allows doctors and other healthcare professionals to send patients to either a preliminary assessment service for mental health or directly to an appointment. Not all CMHTs offer both options and the system is not able to be used for all kinds of mental health referrals.
A doctor may also decide to refer a person to a specialized community mental health service (CMT). They are typically run by an enormous hospital or a local healthcare organisation. CMTs are a great option for those who want to consult a qualified psychiatrist or psychologist but do not require inpatient treatment. They can also offer an early intervention program where psychiatrists work with a therapist in order to assist a person overcome a crisis or improve the quality of their lives.
One of the challenges that a CMT is how to ensure that all referrals are allocated within the proper time frame. Many referrals are considered urgent even though they may not be. This can lead people who aren't experiencing a crisis to be overwhelmed and suffer delays.
To address this issue certain CMHTs are working to establish more consistent guidelines for what is considered an urgent referral. This was achieved by using an established form that asks the referrer to indicate if the situation is urgent. The form includes a box for the referrer to check in the event that they believe the referral is urgent.