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 boost investment in mental health services faster than the overall NHS budget. This includes the work of a specialist in suicide prevention.
Get assistance
One in four of us will have a mental health problem at some time in our lives. The good news is there are a variety of ways to seek help, and many of us will recover with time. However, it is important to know what help is available, and who can provide it.
You can seek assistance from a variety of sources such as your doctor (primary medical doctor for primary care), your local health centre or a community mental health team. These teams are comprised of nurses, occupational therapists, psychotherapists and speech and language therapists who work together with the people who utilize the service. Based on the type of help you need you might be provided with individual or group therapy.
Your GP will typically require you to fill out a form to make a referral to a local mental health team. They will also ask you to specify what kind of support you need. You will be consulted by members of a mental team which includes psychiatrist, psychologist or social worker. In some cases a clinical nurse specialist will conduct your assessment and treatment. If you are experiencing a crisis, you can call the NHS 111 helpline for immediate assistance. If you're already being supported by mental health services it's a good idea try and contact your usual team first, unless it's out of normal hours, on a weekend or a bank holiday.
The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health detailed plans to establish multidisciplinary, community-based mental health teams that are linked to primary care networks. These teams will increase the quality of the care delivered to people experiencing a crisis, and will provide assistance to those in their homes and community instead of in hospitals.
The plan aims to make emergency services available by reducing wait times and opening up more beds. It would also introduce mental health transport vehicles and ensure that every ambulance has 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 variety of treatment options to treat mental health issues. GPs typically have the ability to treat milder illnesses, however more serious issues will require an expert team. These teams operate in community and primary healthcare facilities and psychiatric hospitals. You can also seek help in a secure space if you feel in crisis.
Talking therapies for depression and anxiety are among the main kinds of treatment. These programs, previously known as IAPT (Interactive Assessment and Psychotherapy), have seen their referral numbers increase each year since they were first introduced in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan commits to expanding these programs so that 1.9 million people can access them in 2023/2024.
Psychiatric medications are another crucial aspect of treatment. They can improve symptoms by altering how chemicals in your brain work. They can also be used to ease side effects of other treatments. Your doctor will recommend a medicine that is right 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 online. Some patients prefer treatment in person, but that is a personal choice. Mind is one of the organizations that offer support groups and courses. Their website is full of reliable information, but you must be aware that there's plenty of false or misleading information on the internet about mental health issues.
The NHS is advancing mental health care but it struggles to meet demand. There are 54 mental health trusts across the UK and the majority of them receive funding from clinical commissioning organizations to deliver their services. They usually are located in a particular region however, they may be commissioned to provide national services.
One of the main issues is the lack of resources to meet the demands of the rising population. There are concerns about the quality and availability of psychiatrists and nurses. The NHS is working to improve these services by delivering more training and introducing new methods of working. It also offers safer and more effective methods to treat people in crisis. These include mobile crisis teams and safe spaces.
Helping you
Since the NHS was launched 70 years ago, there have been many positive developments for those suffering from mental health issues. Treatment options have gotten more diverse and social barriers are breaking down. But there is more to be done.
Patients who are experiencing mental health issues must be able to get the help they need quickly and easily. This is why the NHS is working hard to improve the services available to those who require these services. By 2020/21 we will ensure that all acute hospitals offer a mental health liaison service both in A&E as well as on wards for patients and that 70% will meet the core 24 standard by 2023/24. Then we will work towards 100% coverage.
We will also increase services for those who require them in the community, including psychotherapy, in order to provide thousands of more people with common or severe mental health conditions the assistance they require. We will continue to work on the national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) program so that more people can be visited by therapists who are qualified, quicker.
The NHS provides confidential, free helplines to anyone struggling with mental health issues. Samaritans Mind and Rethink are some of the helplines available. These helplines are run by trained volunteers and provide an environment where you can talk in a safe manner or give advice and information on how to deal with your mental health issues.
Additionally, there are a number of local organisations which can provide support and guidance to those with mental health issues. Self-help guides, coping strategies and other activities are available. Many of these organizations also offer support groups that meet face-to-face for those who would prefer this type of support.
The University's Open Door Team offers a drop-in counseling service for students experiencing stress or depression. There's also the Nightline student counselling service, which provides confidential listening and support from experienced volunteers, check here or information on other services. Charities such as Mind and Rethink can provide many sources of information and support, both online and in local groups. They offer a variety of courses more info and activities including mindfulness classes to art classes that are useful for people with mental health issues.
Referring someone to you
Mental health services are under strain 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 check here and refer them to services they believe will be able to assist. They may send a referral to an NHS trust or an independent service.
A mental health specialist will assess the referral to determine if it is appropriate or not. If the specialist isn't satisfied with the referral they will contact the GP to discuss their decision and provide why. They can also ask the GP for more details or to modify the referral.
The referral to a local Community Mental Health more info Team (CMHT) can be made through the NHS e-Referral Service (e-RS). The system allows doctors and other healthcare professionals to direct patients to an initial clinical assessment service for mental health or directly to an appointment. Not all CMHTs offer both options, and the system click here is not able to be used for all kinds of mental health referrals.
A GP might decide to refer a patient to an expert community mental health service (CMT). They are usually managed by an extensive hospital or a local healthcare organisation. CMTs are a good choice for those who have to see a psychiatrist or psychologist, but do not require inpatient treatment. They can also provide an early intervention service where psychiatrists collaborate with therapist in order to assist someone in overcoming an issue or improve the quality of their lives.
CMTs have the responsibility of making sure that all referrals are received within a reasonable time. One of the problems is that many referrals are deemed as urgent, even though they might not be. This can cause patients who aren't in a crisis to be rushed and suffer delays.
To address this issue, some CMHTs have tried to establish more uniform standards for what constitutes an urgent referral. This was achieved by using a standardised form that asks the referrer if they believe the case is urgent. The form includes a box that the referrer has to check if the referral is urgent.