Mental Health Services on the NHS
The NHS has responded to the increase in mental health problems by offering services. This includes:
The Long Term Plan has made a renewed commitment to grow investment in mental health services quicker than the NHS budget in general. This includes specialist work in suicide prevention.
Get assistance
One of four of us will experience mental health issues at some moment in our lives. The good news is that there are many avenues to seek help, and most of us will improve with time. It is important to know the types of help available and who can offer it.
You can seek help from a variety of sources, including your doctor (primary medical doctor who treats patients) as well as your local health centre, 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 can get individual or group therapy based on the kind of help you require.
Your doctor will typically ask you to fill in a form to send you a referral to a local mental health team. They will also speak to you about what kind of help you require. You will then be seen by a member of a mental health team, which may include a psychiatrist, social worker or psychologist. In some cases, a clinical nurse specialist will conduct your assessment and treatment. You can call the NHS 111 helpline for assistance if you're in a crisis. If you're already being assisted by mental health services, it's a good idea to try and contact your usual team first unless it's out of core hours, the 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 connected to primary care networks. These teams will increase the quality of mental health care that is provided to those who are in a crisis, and provide support to patients within their communities and at home rather than in hospitals.
The plan aims to make crisis services more accessible by reducing waiting times and opening more beds. It would also introduce mental health transport vehicles and ensure that all ambulances have an official who is a mental health liaison in their control rooms to ensure people suffering from mental health issues are helped in times of crisis.
Treatment options
The NHS provides a variety of treatment options to treat mental health conditions. GPs are often able to treat minor disorders, but more serious conditions will require the assistance of a specialist team. These teams work across community and primary mental health services as well as mental health hospitals. There are also safe places where you can seek help when you're in a state of crisis.
Talking therapies for depression and anxiety are one of the main treatments. Previously referred to as IAPT the programs have seen referral numbers increase each year since they were introduced in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan commits to expanding these programs to ensure that 1.9 million people can access them in 2023/2024.
Psychiatric drugs are a different component of treatment. They can alleviate symptoms by altering the way that chemicals function in your brain. They can also help ease side effects of other treatments. Your doctor will prescribe the right medication for you.
There are a variety of talking therapies, including individual therapy and group therapy. Some of these therapies can be delivered in-person, while others can be performed online. Some patients prefer treatment in person, but that is a personal preference. There are a variety of charities that offer support groups and courses like Mind. Their website has a lot of information that is reliable, however you must be aware that there is plenty of false or misleading information on the internet about mental health issues.
The NHS is advancing the quality of mental health care, but it struggles to meet the demands. In the UK there are 54 mental trusts. Most of them receive funding for their services from the clinical commissioning groups. They are usually located in a specific area however, they can also 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 over the quality and shortage of nurses and psychiatrists. The NHS is working to improve the services by introducing new ways of work and providing more training. It is also introducing safer and more effective ways to help people in crisis, such as mobile crisis teams and secure areas.
Helping you
Since the NHS was launched 70 years ago there are positive changes for those suffering from mental health issues. The treatment options have gotten better and social barriers have been smashed down. But there's still a lot to be done.
People who are in mental health issues should receive the assistance they require quickly and easily. That's why the NHS is putting in the effort to improve the quality of services for those who need them. We will ensure that every acute hospital is without a mental health liaison service in A&E departments and wards for inpatients by 2020/21. We will also ensure that 70 percent of these services will meet the "core 24" standard by 2023/24. Then we will work towards achieving 100% coverage afterward.
We will also increase services for people who need them in the community, which includes talking therapies, to give hundreds of thousands of people with common or severe mental health conditions the support they need. We will continue to develop our national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies program (IAPT), so that more people with mental health conditions can be seen quicker by therapists who are qualified.
The NHS provides free, confidential helplines to anyone struggling with a mental health issue. They include the Samaritans, Mind and Rethink. These helplines are run by trained volunteers. They offer the opportunity to talk with someone in a secure environment or give advice and information on how to deal with your mental health issues.
There are a variety of local organizations that provide help and advice to those suffering from mental health issues. They can provide self-help guides, coping strategies, and activities to try. Many of these organizations offer face-toface support groups to those who would prefer it.
The University's Open Door Team offers a drop-in counseling service for students experiencing stress or depression. There is also the Nightline student counselling service, which offers confidential listening and support from skilled volunteers, or details on other services. Charities such as Mind and Rethink can provide many sources of information and support both online and in 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.
Referrals
Mental health services are under strain and GPs must make difficult choices regarding which specialist services they should refer their patients to. The doctor will take into consideration the patient's medical background and refer them to services they believe will be able to aid. They can send a referral either to an NHS trust, or an independent provider.
A mental health professional will assess the referral to determine if the referral is appropriate or not. If the specialist isn't happy with the referral, they'll contact the GP and explain the reasons. how can i get a mental health assessment may also ask the GP to modify the referral or request additional details.
Referrals to a local Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) can be made through the NHS e-Referral Service (e-RS). The system allows GPs and other healthcare professionals to refer patients to either a pre-mental health clinical assessment service or directly to an appointment with an outpatient. 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 also refer patients to a community mental health specialist service (CMT). They are typically operated by a large local healthcare organization or hospital. CMTs are a good choice for those who need to consult a psychologist or psychiatrist but don't require inpatient care. They also offer an early intervention program, where a psychiatrist works with the psychotherapist to help a patient overcome a problem or improve their quality of life.
One of the major challenges faced by a CMT is ensuring that all appropriate referrals are assigned within the appropriate timeframe. Many referrals are considered urgent, even though they might not be. This can lead to delays and over-working for those who aren't in need.
To address this issue, certain CMHTs are working to establish more uniform standards for what is an urgent referral. This has been achieved by using the standardised referral forma that requires a referrer to determine if the case is urgent. The form includes a box for the referrer to check if they feel that the referral is urgent.