Mental Health Services on the NHS
There has been an enormous rise in people seeking help for mental health issues, and the NHS has responded 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 overall. This will include special suicide prevention services.
Get assistance
One of four people will suffer from mental illness at one time in their lives. The good news is that there are a variety of different options to seek assistance and the majority of us recover with time. It's important to understand what help is available and who can offer it.
You can seek help from your doctor or your local health center or mental health team within your community. These teams are comprised of nurses, occupational and psychotherapists and speech therapists. They work with people who use their services. Depending on the type of assistance you require you could receive individual or group therapy.
Your doctor will typically require you to fill out a form so that they can make a referral to a community mental health team. They will also ask you what kind of support you need. You will then be examined by someone from a mental health team that may comprise a psychiatrist social worker or psychologist. In some instances, a clinical nurse specialist will conduct your assessment and treatment. You can call the NHS 111 helpline for assistance if you're in an emergency. If you're already being assisted by mental health services, it's best to try and contact your usual team first, unless it's out of normal hours, on a weekend or on a bank holiday.
The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health outlined plans to create more multidisciplinary, community-based, place-based mental health teams, with connections to primary care networks. These teams will improve the quality of mental health care delivered to people experiencing a crisis, and offer support to them in their homes and community rather than in hospitals.
The plan aims to make crisis services accessible by reducing wait times and opening up more beds. It would also introduce the mental transport vehicle and ensure that all ambulances are outfitted with a mental liaison nurse in the control room to ensure that those who are experiencing mental distress are supported during emergency situations.
Treatment options
The NHS provides a wide range of treatment options for mental health issues. Less severe disorders are often treated by GPs, while more serious disorders require specialists. These teams are located in both community and primary health services for mental health and psychiatric hospitals. You can also seek assistance in a secure space when you are in a crisis.
Talking therapies are one of the most common types of treatment for depression and anxiety. Formerly known as IAPT These programs have seen referrals increase each year since their launch in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan commits to expanding these programs so that 1.9 million people can access them by 2023/2024.
Psychiatric medications are also a crucial part of treatment. They can alleviate symptoms by changing the way the brain's chemicals function. They can also be used to lessen the negative effects of other treatments. Your doctor will suggest the right medication for you.
There are many different types of talking therapies, including group therapy and individual therapy. Some of these can be delivered in person, but others are available online. Some patients prefer face-to-face treatment, but it is the choice of the patient. There are also a number of charities that provide support groups and classes, such as Mind. Their website contains a wealth of reliable information, but you should be aware of the fact that there's a lot of inaccurate or misleading information on the internet about mental health issues.
While the NHS is improving its mental health services, it still struggles to meet the demands. In the UK there are 54 mental trusts. They receive the majority of funding for their services from the clinical commissioning groups. They are usually located in a specific area however, they are also able to be contracted to provide national services.
The main issue is the lack of resources to meet rising demand. There are also concerns over the quality of care, and the shortage of psychiatrists and nurses. The NHS is striving to improve its services by introducing new ways of work and delivering more training. It also introduces more efficient and safer methods to help people in crisis including mobile crisis teams and secure places.
Helping you
Since the NHS was launched 70 years ago there have been positive changes for those with mental health issues. Treatment options have gotten more diverse and social barriers are being taken down. But there is still more to do.
People experiencing a mental health crisis require the ability to get the help they need quickly and easily. The NHS is working to improve services to ensure that those who need them receive assistance. In 2020/21, we will ensure that all acute hospitals offer a mental health liaison service, both in A&E and on wards for inpatients, and that 70% of them will meet the core 24 standard by 2023/24. Then we will strive to achieve 100% coverage.
We will also expand community services, including talking therapy, to offer support for hundreds of thousands of people suffering from mental health conditions regardless of whether they are common or severe. We will continue to work on our national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies program (IAPT) in order to ensure that more people with mental health problems can be seen more quickly by qualified therapists.
The NHS offers free, confidential helplines for anyone who is struggling with mental health issues. click to investigate include the Samaritans, Mind and Rethink. These helplines are run by trained volunteers. They provide the opportunity to talk with someone in a secure environment or give guidance and information on how to tackle your mental health concerns.
Additionally, there are a number of local organizations that provide support and guidance to those suffering from mental health issues. Self-help guides, coping techniques and activities can be included. Many of these organisations provide support groups in person to those who would prefer it.
The University's Open Door Team offers a drop-in counseling service for students struggling or stressed. There is also the Nightline student counselling service that provides confidential listening and support from knowledgeable volunteers, as well as information about other services. Charities like Mind and Rethink are a excellent source of information. They can offer support in many forms such as online and through local groups. They also offer various classes and activities, ranging from mindfulness to art groups that could be beneficial for people suffering from mental health issues.
Referrals
Mental health services are under pressure and GPs are forced to make difficult choices regarding which specialist services to refer their patients to. The GP will consider the patient's medical background and recommend them to services they believe will be able assist. They might send a referral to an NHS trust or an independent service.
A mental health professional will review the referral to determine if it's appropriate or not. If the specialist isn't satisfied 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.
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 to direct patients to a preliminary assessment for mental health or directly to an appointment. However not all CMHTs offer both options and the system isn't able to be used for every type of mental health referral.
A doctor may also decide to refer a person to an expert community mental health service (CMT). These are usually run either by an extensive hospital or a local healthcare organisation. CMTs are an excellent option for those who need to visit a psychologist or psychiatrist but do not require inpatient care. They can also offer an early intervention service in which psychiatrists work with a psychotherapist to help someone overcome a crisis or improve the quality of their life.
CMTs face the challenge of ensuring that all referrals are made within a reasonable time. One of the challenges is that many referrals are deemed urgent, despite the fact that they might not be. This can lead to delays and over-working for those who aren't in a crisis.
To tackle this issue, some CMHTs are trying to establish more consistent standards for what is considered an urgent referral. This was achieved by using a standardised form which asks the referrer if the case is urgent. The form has a checkbox that the referrer has to check to indicate if the referral is urgent.