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 providing 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 specialist suicide prevention work.
Get assistance
One out of four people will suffer from mental illness at one time in their lives. The good news is that there are many different options to seek assistance and the majority of us recover over time. It is crucial to know the types of help available and who can provide it.
You can seek help from a variety of sources like your GP (primary care medical doctor), your local health center or a community mental health team. These teams are made up of nurses, occupational therapists psychotherapists, psychotherapists and speech and language therapists who work together with the people who utilize the service. You can get individual or group therapy, based on the type of help you need.
You will be asked to complete a form with your GP so they can refer you to a mental health team in the community. They will also talk to you about the kind of assistance you require. You will be assessed by an individual from an interdisciplinary team of mental health professionals like psychiatrist, psychologist or social worker. In some instances, a clinical nurse specialist will perform your assessment and treatment. If you are experiencing a crisis, you can call the NHS 111 helpline for immediate support. If you already receive mental health support it is recommended to contact your regular team first, unless out of hours, 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, with connections to primary care networks. These teams will increase the quality of the care that is provided to those who are in a crisis, and will provide assistance to them within their communities and at home instead of in hospitals.
The plan also aimed to provide crisis services to more people by reducing wait times and opening more beds. It also proposed to introduce mental health transport vehicles, and ensure that all ambulances have a mental health liaison nurse in their control rooms to improve the way that those suffering from mental health issues are supported in emergency situations.
Treatment options
The NHS offers a range of treatment options to treat mental health conditions. The less severe disorders are typically treated by GPs however more severe conditions require a specialist team. These teams work in community and primary healthcare facilities as well as psychiatric hospitals. You can also seek help in a secure space when you are in a crisis.
Talking therapies are among the most popular forms of treatment for anxiety and depression. These programs, previously referred to as IAPT (Interactive Assessment and Psychotherapy) have seen their numbers of clients increase each year since they first introduced in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan commits to expanding these programs to ensure that 1.9 million people will be able to use them in 2023/2024.
Psychiatric medicines are another important part of treatment. They can alleviate symptoms by changing the way the brain's chemicals function. They can also be used to ease side effects of other treatments. Your doctor will prescribe the appropriate medication for you.
A variety of talk therapy treatments are available which include group therapy as well as individual 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 also a lot of charities that provide support groups and courses like Mind. The site is full of reliable information but you should be aware of the fact that there are a lot of false or misleading statements that are posted on the internet about mental health issues.
The NHS is advancing the mental health system, but it is struggling to meet the demand. There are 54 mental health trusts in the UK, and most of are funded by clinical commissioning groups to provide their service. They are typically located in a particular region however, they can also be commissioned to deliver national services.
A key issue is the insufficient resources to meet rising demand. There are concerns about the quality of care and the shortage of psychiatrists and nurses. The NHS is striving to improve its services by introducing new methods of work and delivering more training. It also offers more secure and efficient methods of treating people who are in crisis. This includes mobile crisis teams and safe spaces.
Supporting you
Since the NHS was first introduced 70 years ago, there have been positive changes for those suffering from mental health issues. Treatment options have gotten more diverse and social barriers are being broken down. But there is more to be done.
People who are in mental health issues should receive the help they require quickly and easily. The NHS is striving to improve the quality of services so that people in need are able to access assistance. In 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% of them will meet the core 24 standard by 2023/24. Then we will strive for 100 percent coverage.
We will also extend services for those who require them in the community, such as psychotherapy, in order to provide hundreds of thousands of people with common or severe mental health issues the help they require. We will continue to develop our national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies program (IAPT) to ensure that more people with mental health conditions are seen faster by therapists who are qualified.
The NHS offers confidential, no-cost helplines to those suffering from mental health issues. Samaritans Mind and Rethink are some of the helplines available. These helplines are run by volunteers who offer the opportunity to talk in a secure environment or provide advice and information on how to deal your mental health concerns.
There are also local organizations that provide assistance and support to those suffering from mental health issues. These can include self-help guides, coping strategies, and activities to try. Many of these organisations also offer face-to-face support groups for those who prefer this option.
For students, there is the University's Open Door Team which offers a drop-in counselling service for those who are feeling down or stressed. There is also the Nightline student counselling service that provides confidential listening and support from skilled volunteers, or details 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 courses and activities, from mindfulness to art groups that could be beneficial for people who suffer from mental health issues.
Referrals
Mental health services are under pressure and GPs must make difficult choices about which specialist services to refer their patients to. The doctor will take a patient's medical history into consideration and then refer them to a service they believe can assist. 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's 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 may request the GP to alter the referral or request more details.
The referral 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 health professionals to refer people to either a pre-mental health clinical assessment service or directly to an outpatient appointment. However not all CMHTs provide both options, and the system cannot be used for every kind of mental health referral.
A doctor may also refer a patient to a community mental health specialist service (CMT). These are usually run by a major local healthcare organization or a hospital. CMTs can be a good option for those who want to see an experienced psychologist or psychiatrist but don't need inpatient treatment. They also offer an early intervention service, where a psychiatrist works with an therapist to help a person overcome a problem or improve their life quality.
CMTs have the responsibility of ensuring that all referrals are received within a reasonable amount of time. Many referrals are considered urgent even though they may not be. This can result in delays and over-working for people who are not in crisis.
To address this issue some CMHTs are trying to establish more uniform standards for what constitutes an urgent referral. assess mental health was achieved by using an established form that asks the referrer to indicate if the case is urgent. The form includes a box that the referrer can tick in the event that they believe that the referral is urgent.