Mental Health Services on the NHS
There has been a massive 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 investment in mental health services quicker than the NHS budget overall. This includes specialist work in suicide prevention.
Get help
One in four people will suffer from mental illness at one point during their lives. The good news is that there are plenty of different ways to get help, and most people recover over time. But it's important to know what help is available, and who can offer it.
You can seek assistance from a variety places, including your doctor (primary care medical doctor), your local health centre 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 people who use the service. You may receive individual or group therapy depending on the type of assistance you require.
Your GP will usually require you to fill out an application form to make a referral to a community mental health team. They will also speak to you about the kind of help you require. You will be assessed by an individual from an interdisciplinary team of mental health professionals like psychologist, psychiatrist or social worker. In certain instances the clinical nurse specialist will carry out your assessment and treatment. If you are experiencing an emergency, you can call the NHS 111 helpline for urgent support. If you're already supported by mental health services, it's a good idea contact your regular 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 links to primary care networks. These teams will increase the quality of the mental health services that is provided to those who are in a crisis, and will provide assistance to those within their communities and at home rather than in hospitals.
The plan also aimed at make crisis services more accessible by reducing wait times and allowing more beds. It would also introduce a mental transport vehicle and ensure that all ambulances are equipped with a mental liaison nurse within the control room to make sure that patients who are suffering from mental illness are supported during emergency situations.
Treatment options
The NHS provides a variety of treatment options for mental health problems. mental health assessment online are typically treated by GPs however more serious disorders require specialists. These teams operate across both community and primary mental health services, and the psychiatric hospitals. There are also safe places where you can seek assistance when you're in a crisis.
Talking therapies are among the most common types of treatment for depression and anxiety. These programs, previously referred to as IAPT (Interactive Assessment and Psychotherapy), have seen their referral numbers increase each year since they were first introduced in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan has set the goal of expanding these services to 1.9 million people by 2023/2024.
The use of psychiatric medication is also a crucial component of treatment. They can alleviate symptoms by changing the way chemicals work in your brain. They can be used to minimize the adverse effects of other treatments. Your doctor will prescribe the best medication for you.
There are many different types of talking therapies, including individual therapy and group therapy. Some of these can be delivered in person, but others can be done online. Some patients prefer receiving treatment in person, but that is a personal preference. There are also a lot of charities that provide classes and support groups, such as Mind. Their website is full of trustworthy information, but you should be aware that there's a lot of misleading or false information available on the internet regarding mental health issues.
The NHS is working to improve the mental health system, but it is struggling to meet the demands. There are 54 mental health trusts across the UK, and most of they receive funding from clinical commissioning groups to deliver their services. They typically are located in a specific area, but they can be commissioned to provide national services.
A key issue is the lack of resources to meet the growing demand. There are concerns about the quality of care and the 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 treat people in crisis including mobile crisis teams and secure spaces.
We are here to help you
Since the NHS was established 70 years ago, there have been positive developments for those with mental health issues. The treatment options have increased and social barriers have been broken down. But there's still a lot to do.
People experiencing mental health problems require the ability to access the assistance they require quickly and easily. The NHS is working to improve its services so that people in need are able to access assistance. We will ensure that no acute hospital does not have the mental health liaison service in A&E departments and wards for patients by 2020/21. 70% of these services will be in line with the 'core 24' standard by 2023/24. Then we will work towards achieving 100% coverage afterward.
We will also increase services for those who require them in the community, such as psychotherapy, in order to provide hundreds of thousands of people suffering from severe or common mental health conditions the support they need. We will continue to work on our national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme (IAPT) to ensure that more people with mental health issues can be seen more quickly by therapists who are qualified.
The NHS offers confidential, no-cost helplines to those suffering from mental health issues. They include the Samaritans, Mind and Rethink. These helplines are run by trained volunteers. They offer a safe space to talk or provide advice and information on how to manage your mental health issues.
In addition to that, there are a lot of local organizations that provide assistance and support for those with mental health issues. These can include self-help guides, strategies for coping and activities to try. Many of these organisations provide support groups in person for those who prefer it.
For students, there's the University's Open Door Team which offers an opportunity to consult with a counsellor at any time for those who feel down or stressed. There's also the Nightline student counselling service which provides confidential listening and support from experienced volunteers, as well as information on other services. Charities such as Mind and Rethink are a excellent source of information and provide support in a variety of ways, including online and through local groups. They offer a variety of courses and activities from mindfulness to art classes, which are useful for people with mental health issues.
Referring someone to you
With mental health services under pressure, doctors are forced to make difficult decisions regarding the services they will refer patients to. The GP will look at the medical history of the patient and refer them to services they believe can assist. They may send a referral either to an NHS trust, or an independent provider.
A mental health professional will then assess the referral and decide 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 request the GP to change 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 permits GPs and other healthcare professionals to refer people to either a mental health clinical assessment service or directly to an appointment with an outpatient. 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 refer a patient to a mental health specialist in the community service (CMT). These are usually operated by a large local healthcare organisation or a hospital. CMTs can be a good option for people who wish to consult a qualified psychiatrist or psychologist but don't require inpatient care. They can also offer an early intervention service in which psychiatrists collaborate with psychotherapist to help someone overcome any crisis or improve the quality of their life.
CMTs are faced with the task of ensuring that all referrals are made within a reasonable time frame. Many referrals are considered urgent, even though they might not be. This can cause patients who aren't experiencing a crisis to be overworked and experience delays.
To address this issue certain CMHTs are working to establish more consistent standards for what is considered an urgent referral. This was achieved through a standardised 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 the referral is urgent.