Mental Health Services on the NHS
There has been a huge increase in people seeking treatment for mental health issues, and the NHS has responded by offering services. This includes:
The Long Term Plan has made the commitment to increase the investment in mental health services more quickly than the NHS budget overall. This will include specialized work in suicide prevention.
Helping yourself
One of four of us will suffer from mental health issues at some point in our lives. book a mental health assessment is there are many avenues to seek help, and many of us will improve over time. It's important to understand what help is available and who can provide it.
You can seek help from your doctor, your local health center, or a mental health team within your area. These teams are comprised of nurses, occupational and psychotherapists and speech therapists. They work with patients who require their services. Depending on the type of assistance you require, you may be offered individual or group therapy.
Your GP will typically require you to fill out the form to refer you to a community mental health team. They will also ask you to specify what type of assistance you require. You will then be examined by a member of a mental health team, which may include a psychiatrist, psychologist or social worker. In some cases the clinical nurse specialist will perform your assessment and treatment. You can contact the NHS 111 helpline when you're in crisis. If you already receive support for your mental health It is recommended to call your usual team first, unless it's out of office hours, on a weekend or a bank holiday.
The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health detailed plans to create multidisciplinary team of mental health professionals in the community which are connected to primary care networks. They will improve the quality of care provided to those suffering from a mental health crisis and provide support in their homes and communities, rather than in hospital.
The plan aims to make crisis services more accessible by reducing waiting times and opening more beds. It also proposed to introduce mental health transport vehicles and make sure that all ambulances have a mental health liaison nurse in their control rooms to ensure that people who are having a mental health crisis are supported in emergency situations.
Treatment options
The NHS provides a variety of treatment options to treat mental health problems. Less severe disorders are often treated by GPs, while more serious disorders require a specialist team. These teams operate in both community and primary healthcare facilities and psychiatric hospitals. There are also safe spaces where you can seek help if you are feeling in crisis.
Talking therapies for depression and anxiety are among the most popular types of treatment. These programs, previously known as IAPT (Interactive Assessment and Psychotherapy), have seen their referral numbers increase each year since they launched in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan commits to expanding these services so that 1.9 million people can access them in 2023/2024.
Psychiatric medications are also an important element of treatment. They can alleviate symptoms by altering the way that chemicals function in your brain. They can also be used to reduce the effects of other treatments. Your doctor will recommend the right medication for you.
There are many kinds of talk therapy, including individual therapy and group therapy. Some of them are offered in person, but others are available via a remote device. Some patients prefer to receive treatment in person, but this is a personal choice. Mind is one of the organizations that offer support groups and courses. The site contains a wealth of information that is reliable but you should be aware of the fact that there are many false or misleading claims on the internet concerning mental health issues.
The NHS is working to improve the quality of mental health care, but it is struggling to meet demand. In the UK there are 54 mental trusts. Most of them receive funding for their services from the clinical commissioning groups. They typically are located in a particular region, but they can be commissioned to provide national services.
The shortage of resources is a major problem. There are concerns over the quality and availability of psychiatrists and nurses. The NHS is trying to improve the quality of care by offering more training and introducing new methods of working. It is also introducing more secure and efficient methods to assist people in need, such as mobile crisis teams, as well as safe spaces.
Supporting you
Since the NHS launched 70 years ago, there have been many positive developments for those suffering from mental health problems. The treatment options have increased and social barriers have been taken down. But there's still a lot to be done.
People who are in mental health issues should get the help they need quickly and easily. The NHS is working to improve services to ensure that those who need them can get them. In 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% will be in compliance with the core 24 standard by 2023/24. We will then strive for 100 percent coverage.
We will also expand community services, including talking therapy, in order to provide support for hundreds of thousands of individuals suffering from mental health conditions regardless of whether they are severe or common. We will continue to develop our national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme (IAPT) to ensure that more people suffering from mental health issues are seen faster by qualified therapists.
The NHS offers free, confidential helplines for anyone suffering from a mental health issue. Samaritans Mind and Rethink are some of the helplines available. These helplines are operated entirely by volunteers who offer a safe place to talk or give advice and information on how to manage your mental health concerns.
Additionally there are a variety of local organizations that provide assistance and support for those suffering from mental health issues. These include self-help guides, strategies for coping and activities to try. Many of these organizations offer support groups that meet face-to-face to those who prefer it.
The University's Open Door Team offers a drop-in counseling service for students who are struggling or stressed. Nightline is a student counseling service that offers private listening assistance, information and support from experienced volunteers. Charities such as Mind and Rethink are a great source of information and provide support in various forms that include online and through local groups. They can offer a range 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, GPs have to make difficult choices about which specialist services they can refer patients to. The GP will take a patient's medical history into consideration and then recommend them to a service they believe will be able to help. They can send a referral either to an NHS trust, or to 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 satisfied with the referral, they'll call the GP to discuss their decision and explain the reason. They could request the GP to modify the referral or ask for more details.
The ability to refer patients to a local Community Mental Health Team can be made via the NHS e-Referral Service. The system lets doctors and other healthcare professionals to direct patients to a preliminary clinical assessment for mental health or directly to an appointment. However there are some exceptions. CMHTs provide both options, and the system isn't able to be used for every kind of mental health referral.
A doctor may also decide to refer a patient to an expert community mental health service (CMT). These are usually run by a major local health organization or a hospital. CMTs can be a good option for people who wish to see an experienced psychiatrist or psychologist 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 someone in overcoming an issue or improve the quality of their lives.
CMTs face the challenge of ensuring that all referrals are received within a reasonable time frame. Many referrals are deemed urgent, even though they might not be. This can cause patients who aren't in a crisis to be overwhelmed and suffer delays.
To address this issue, some CMHTs have attempted to establish more uniform guidelines for what constitutes an urgent referral. This is being achieved by using a standardised referral proforma that requires a referrer to consider whether the case is urgent. The form includes a box that the referrer has to check to indicate if the referral is urgent.