Mental Health Services on the NHS
The NHS has responded to the rise in mental health issues by providing services. This includes:
The Long Term Plan has made an unrepeatable commitment to increase the investment in mental health services quicker than the NHS budget overall. This includes 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 that there are many avenues to seek assistance, and the majority of us will recover over time. It is crucial to know what assistance is available and who can offer it.
You can seek help from a variety of places such as your GP (primary care medical doctor), your local health center or a community mental health team. These teams consist of nurses, occupational therapists psychotherapists, psychotherapists and speech and language therapists who work together with those who utilize the service. You may receive individual or group therapy, based on the type of assistance you require.
Your GP will usually ask you to fill in a form to make a referral to a community mental health team. They will also speak to you about the kind of help you need. You will be consulted by an individual from the mental team like psychiatrist, psychologist or social worker. In certain instances the assessment and treatment will be conducted by a clinical nurse specialist. If you are experiencing crisis, contact the NHS 111 helpline for immediate assistance. If you already receive mental health services It is recommended to contact your regular team first, unless out of hours, on a weekend or bank holiday.
The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health detailed plans to create multidisciplinary, community-based mental health teams that are connected to primary care networks. These plans will aid in improving the quality of care given to those experiencing an illness of mental health and provide support within their communities and homes instead of in hospitals.
The plan also aims at making crisis services more accessible by cutting down wait times and allowing more beds. It would also include a mental transport vehicle and ensure that all ambulances are stocked with a mental liaison nurse in the control room to improve how patients who are suffering from mental illness are supported during emergency situations.
Treatment options
The NHS provides a wide range of treatment options for mental health conditions. The less severe disorders are typically treated by GPs and more serious disorders require specialists. These teams are spread across community and primary mental health services, as well as mental health hospitals. There are also safe spaces where you can seek assistance if you are feeling in a crisis.
Talking therapies for depression and anxiety are one of the main types of treatment. Previously known as IAPT the programs have seen the number of people who seek them increase each year since they were introduced in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan has committed to expanding these programs to 1.9 million people by 2023/2024.
what is mental health assessment are another important component of treatment. They can improve symptoms through altering the way chemicals work in your brain. They can also be used to minimize the adverse effects of other treatments. Your doctor will recommend the best medication for you.
There are many kinds of talking therapies, including individual therapy and group therapy. Some of these therapies can be offered in person, while other can be performed remotely. Some patients prefer receiving treatment in person, but that is a personal choice. Mind is one of the charities that provide support groups and courses. Their website is full of trustworthy information, but you should be aware that there is a lot of false or misleading information available on the internet regarding mental health issues.
The NHS is working to improve the quality of mental health care, but it struggles to meet demand. There are 54 mental health trusts in the UK, and most of are funded by clinical commissioning organizations to deliver their services. They are typically located in a specific region, but can be contracted to provide national services.
A key issue 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 ways of working. It also introduces more efficient and safer methods of treating those who are in crisis. This includes mobile crisis teams and secure spaces.
Helping you
Since the NHS launched 70 years ago there have been a lot of positive changes for people with mental health issues. Treatment options have increased and social barriers are breaking down. However, there is still much to be done.
People who are suffering from mental health problems need to be able to get the assistance they require quickly and easily. The NHS is working to improve services to ensure that those in need receive them. We will ensure that every acute hospital is without the mental health liaison service in A&E departments and inpatient wards by 2020/21. 70 percent of these services will be in line with 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 talking therapies, to give hundreds of thousands more people suffering from severe or common mental health conditions the support they need. We will continue to develop the national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme so that more people can be treated by trained therapists faster.
The NHS offers free, confidential helplines to anyone struggling with a mental health issue. Samaritans Mind and Rethink are some of the helplines that are available. These helplines are run entirely by volunteers who provide the opportunity to talk in a secure environment or give advice and information on how to manage your mental health concerns.
In addition there are a variety of local organisations which can provide assistance and support for people with mental health problems. They can provide self-help guides, strategies for coping and activities to try. A lot of these organizations offer face-to-face support groups for those who prefer this option.
For students, there is the University's Open Door Team which offers an opportunity to consult with a counsellor at any time for those who feel depressed or stressed. There's also the Nightline student counselling service which provides confidential listening and support from skilled volunteers, or information on other services. Charities such as Mind and Rethink are a great source of information and offer support in many forms such as online and through local groups. They offer a variety of classes and activities, including mindfulness classes to art classes that are beneficial for those with mental health issues.
Making a referral
With mental health services under pressure, GPs have to make difficult decisions regarding which specialist services they can refer patients to. The doctor will take a patient's medical history into account and then recommend them to a service they think can assist. They may send a referral to an NHS trust or an independent provider.
A mental health specialist will review the referral to determine if it is appropriate or not. If the specialist isn't happy with the referral, they will call the GP and explain the reasons. They may also ask the GP to provide more information or to modify the referral.
Referrals to a local Community Mental Health Team can be made using the NHS e-Referral Service. The system lets doctors and other healthcare professionals to send patients to either a preliminary assessment for mental health or directly to an appointment. Not all CMHTs provide both options, and the system is not able to be used for all types of mental health referrals.
A GP may decide to refer a patient to a specialized community mental health service (CMT). They are typically run by an enormous hospital or a local health care organization. CMTs can be a good option for people who wish to consult a qualified psychologist or psychiatrist, but don't require inpatient care. They can also offer an early intervention program where a psychiatrist works with a therapist in order to assist a person overcome any crisis or improve the quality of their life.
One of the challenges faced by a CMT is ensuring that all suitable referrals are assigned within the appropriate timeframe. One of the issues is that many referrals are deemed urgent, even though they may not be. This can result in delays and over-working for people who aren't in a crisis.
To combat this problem, some CMHTs have attempted to establish more uniform guidelines for what constitutes a referral urgent. This was achieved through a standardised form which asks the referrer if they believe the situation is urgent. The form has a checkbox that the referrer has to check when the request is urgent.
