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 providing services. This includes:
The Long Term Plan reaffirmed its commitment to invest more in mental health services faster than overall NHS budget. This will include specialist work in suicide prevention.
Getting help
One out of four people will be affected by mental illness at one time in their lives. The good news is there are many ways to get help, and many of us will be able to recover with time. But it's important to know what assistance is available and who can offer it.
You can seek assistance from a variety places like 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, psychotherapists and speech and language therapists who collaborate with people who use the service. You can get individual or group therapy depending on the kind of help you need.
Your doctor will typically request you to fill out a form to send you a referral to a local mental health team. They will also talk with you about the type of assistance you require. Then, you will be viewed by someone from a mental health team that may comprise a psychiatrist social worker or psychologist. In some instances the clinical nurse specialist will perform your assessment and treatment. If you're in crisis, call the NHS 111 helpline for immediate support. If you're already supported by mental health services it's best to contact your regular team first, unless it's out of core hours, the weekend or on a bank holiday.
The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health included plans to establish more multidisciplinary, place-based community mental health teams with links to primary care networks. They will improve the quality of care that is given to those experiencing a mental health crisis. They will also provide support within their communities and homes, rather than in hospital.
The plan aims to make crisis services accessible by decreasing waiting times and opening more beds. It would also introduce the mental transport vehicle and ensure that all ambulances are equipped with a mental liaison nurse within the control room to make sure that people experiencing a mental crisis are helped in times of crisis.
Treatment options
The NHS offers a variety of treatment options to treat mental health conditions. GPs typically have the ability to treat less severe disorders, but more serious conditions will require a specialist team. These teams operate across community and primary mental health services and also psychiatric hospitals. There are also safe spaces where you can seek help when you're in a state of crisis.
Talking therapies for depression and anxiety are among the most popular treatments. These programs, formerly known as IAPT (Interactive Assessment and Psychotherapy) have seen their number of referrals increase every 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.
Psychiatric drugs are a different component of treatment. They can help alleviate symptoms by changing the way chemicals work in your brain. They can also help reduce the effects of other treatments. Your doctor will suggest the best medication for you.
There are a variety of talk therapies, such as individual therapy and group therapy. Some of these therapies can be delivered in-person, while others can be done online. Some patients prefer face to face treatment, but it's the choice of the patient. There are a variety of charities that provide support groups and classes like Mind. Their website is full of reliable information, but you should be aware of the fact that there's a lot of false or misleading information on the internet about mental health issues.
The NHS is advancing the mental health system, but it struggles to meet demand. In the UK there are 54 mental trusts. The majority of them receive funding for their services from clinical commissioning groups. They are typically located in a specific region, but can be commissioned to deliver national services.
A key issue is the insufficient resources to meet the growing demand. There are also concerns about the quality of care and the shortage of psychiatrists and nurses. The NHS is trying to improve the quality of care by introducing new methods of working and offering more training. It also introduces more secure and efficient methods of treating people who are in crisis. These include mobile crisis teams, as well as safe space.
We are here to help you
Since the NHS launched 70 years ago there have been numerous positive developments for people suffering from mental health issues. The options for treatment have grown and social barriers have been smashed down. But there is more to be done.
People who are experiencing a mental crisis need to receive the assistance they require quickly and easily. mental assessment near me 's why the NHS is working hard to improve the services available to those who need these services. By 2020/21 we will ensure that all acute hospitals have a mental health liaison service both in A&E as well as on wards for patients, and that 70% of them will be in compliance with the core 24 standard by 2023/24. We will then strive to achieve 100 percent coverage.
We will also increase community services, including talk therapy, in order to provide support for hundreds of thousands of individuals suffering from mental health issues regardless of whether they are serious or common. We will continue to work on the national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) program so that more people are seen by qualified therapists, more quickly.
The NHS provides free, confidential helplines to anyone suffering from a mental health issue. Samaritans Mind and Rethink are some of the helplines that are available. These helplines are run by trained volunteers. They offer the opportunity to talk with someone in a secure environment or provide advice and information on how to tackle your mental health concerns.
There are also local organizations that can offer support and guidance to people suffering from mental health issues. Self-help guides, coping strategies and other activities are all possible. Many of these organizations offer support groups that meet face-to-face to those who prefer it.
For students, there is the University's Open Door Team which offers the opportunity to visit a counselling center for those feeling down or stressed. There's also the Nightline student counselling service, which offers confidential listening and support from knowledgeable volunteers, or details about other services. Charities such as Mind and Rethink are a excellent source of information. They can offer support in many forms, including online and through local groups. They also offer many classes and activities, from mindfulness to art classes, which may be useful for those living with mental health problems.
Referrals
With mental health services under pressure, GPs have to make difficult decisions about which specialist services they can refer patients to. The GP will take a patient's medical history into account and then refer them to a specialist they think can assist. They might send a referral to an NHS trust or an independent provider.
A mental health professional will then review the referral and decide whether it's appropriate or not. If the specialist doesn't like the referral, they'll call the GP and explain their reasons. They can also ask the GP for more information or to alter the referral.
Requests for 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 send patients to either a preliminary assessment for mental health or directly to an appointment. Not all CMHTs provide both options, and the system cannot be used for all kinds of mental health referrals.
A GP may also refer patients to a mental health specialist in the community service (CMT). These are usually run by a major local healthcare organization or hospital. CMTs are an excellent option for those who require to consult a psychologist or psychiatrist, but do not require inpatient treatment. They can also offer an early intervention program where a psychiatrist works with a psychotherapist to help someone overcome an issue or improve the quality of their life.
One of the major challenges that a CMT is ensuring that all appropriate referrals are allocated within the appropriate timeframe. One of the problems is that a lot of referrals are deemed urgent, despite the fact that they might not be. This can cause patients who aren't experiencing a crisis to be overwhelmed and suffer delays.
To address this issue, a few CMHTs have tried to establish more uniform guidelines for what constitutes an urgent referral. This was achieved by using a standardised form which asks the referrer if the situation is urgent. The proforma includes a box for the referrer to tick in the event that they believe that the referral is urgent.