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 has made the commitment to increase the investment in mental health services faster than the NHS budget overall. This includes the work of a specialist in suicide prevention.
Get assistance
One of four people will suffer from a mental illness at some time in their lives. The good news is that there are many different ways to seek assistance and the majority of us recover with time. It is important to know what assistance is available and who can offer it.
You can get help from your doctor, your local health center, or a mental health service in your community. These teams consist of nurses, occupational and psychotherapists, as well as speech therapists. They work with the patients who require their services. Based on the type of help you need, you may be offered individual or group therapy.
Your GP will usually ask you to fill in a form so that they can send you a referral to a community mental health team. They will also ask you what you require in terms of support. You will be assessed by an individual from an interdisciplinary team of mental health professionals, such as a psychologist, psychiatrist or social worker. In some cases your evaluation and treatment will be conducted by a specialist in clinical nursing. If you are experiencing an emergency, you can call the NHS 111 helpline for immediate assistance. If you are already receiving mental health support, it is best to contact your regular team first, unless outside of hours, or on a weekend or a bank holiday.
The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health included plans to establish more multidisciplinary, place-based community mental health teams that have links to primary care networks. These teams will increase the quality of the care that is provided to those who are in a crisis, and provide support to patients in their own homes and communities instead of in hospitals.
The plan also aims to make emergency services available by cutting down wait times and opening up more beds. It would also include the mental transport vehicle and ensure that all ambulances are stocked with a mental liaison nurse in the control room to make sure that patients who are suffering from mental illness are helped in times of crisis.
Treatment options
The NHS offers a range of treatment options to treat mental health problems. GPs are usually able to treat less severe disorders, but more serious issues will require the assistance of a specialist team. These teams are spread across primary and community mental health services and also mental health hospitals. You can also seek assistance in a secure environment when you are in a crisis.
Talking therapies are among the most commonly used forms of treatment for depression and anxiety. Formerly known as IAPT These programs have seen referral numbers increase every year since their launch in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan has set the goal of expanding these services to 1.9 million people by 2023/2024.
Psychiatric medicines are another important component of treatment. They can help alleviate symptoms by changing the way chemicals in your brain work. They can also be used to reduce the effects of other treatments. Your doctor will suggest the best medication for you.
A wide variety of talking therapy options are offered including group therapy and individual therapy. Some of these therapies are offered in person, while other are available via remote access. Some patients prefer face-to-face treatment, but it's a matter of choice. Mind is one of many organizations that offer support groups and courses. Their website contains a wealth of trustworthy information, but you must be aware that there's lots of inaccurate or misleading information available on the internet regarding mental health issues.
While the NHS is improving its mental health care however, it is still struggling to cope with demand. There are 54 mental health trusts in the UK, and most of them receive funding from clinical commissioning groups to deliver their service. They are typically located in a specific region, but can be commissioned to provide national services.
The lack of resources is a major problem. There are also concerns over the quality of care, and a shortage of nurses and psychiatrists. The NHS is working to improve the services by introducing new methods of working and offering more training. It also provides safer and more effective ways to help people who are in crisis. This includes mobile crisis teams and secure space.
Helping you
Since the NHS was established 70 years ago there have been positive changes for people suffering from mental health issues. Treatment options have gotten more diverse and social barriers are being broken down. But there is still more to do.
People who are experiencing mental illness need to receive the assistance they require quickly and easily. This is why the NHS is working hard to improve the quality of services for 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 and on inpatient wards and that 70% will meet the core 24 standard by 2023/24. We will then work towards 100 percent coverage.
We will also expand services for people who require them in the community, such as talking therapies, to give hundreds of thousands more people suffering from severe or common mental health issues the help they require. 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, faster.
The NHS offers confidential, free assistance to anyone suffering from mental health issues. They include the Samaritans, Mind and Rethink. These helplines are run entirely by volunteers who offer a safe place to talk or provide advice and information about how to handle your mental health issues.
There are also local organizations that can offer assistance and support to those suffering from mental health issues. Self-help guides, coping techniques and other activities are available. Many of these organisations provide support groups in person to those who prefer it.
The University's Open Door Team offers a drop-in counseling service for students struggling or stressed. Nightline is a student counselling service that offers confidential listening as well as information and support from experienced volunteers. Charities like Mind and Rethink are a excellent source of information. They can offer support in many forms that include online and through local groups. They can provide a variety of classes and activities, including mindfulness classes to art classes, which can be beneficial for those suffering from mental health issues.
Making a referral
With mental health services under pressure, doctors are forced to make difficult choices about the services they will refer patients to. The doctor will take the patient's medical history into account and then recommend them to a service they think will be able to help. They may refer a patient 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 pleased with the referral they will call the GP to discuss their decision and provide the reason. They might request the GP to change the referral or request more information.
The referral to a local Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) may be made via the NHS e-Referral Service (e-RS). The system permits GPs and other health professionals to refer people to either a preliminary mental health assessment or directly to an outpatient appointment. However, not all CMHTs offer both options and the system can't be used for every type of mental health referral.
A doctor may also refer patients to a community mental health specialist service (CMT). what is a mental health assessment are usually run either by a large hospital or local health care organization. CMTs are a great option for those who have to see a psychiatrist or psychologist, but do not require inpatient care. They also offer an early intervention service, where a psychiatrist will work with a counselor to help someone overcome a crisis or increase their life quality.
One of the biggest challenges that a CMT is to ensure that all referrals are assigned within the appropriate timeframe. Many referrals are considered urgent even though they may not be. This can result in over-working and delays for people who are not in crisis.
To tackle this issue, some CMHTs are trying to establish more consistent standards for what is considered an urgent referral. This has been accomplished by using a standardised referral proforma that requires the referrer to determine if the case is urgent. The proforma has a box that the referrer can tick to indicate if the request is urgent.