Mental Health Services on the NHS
The NHS has responded to the rise in mental health issues by offering services. This includes:
The Long Term Plan has made an unrepeatable commitment to increase the investment in mental health services faster than the NHS budget overall. This will include specialist work in suicide prevention.
Getting help
One out of four of us will experience a mental health problem at some point in our lives. The good news is that there are plenty of different ways to seek help and most of us recover over time. It is important to know what help is available and who can offer it.
You can seek assistance from a variety of places such as your doctor (primary medical doctor for primary care) or your local health center or a community mental health team. These teams comprise of occupational and nurse speech therapists, and psychotherapists. They work with the clients who seek their services. Based on the kind of assistance you require you might be provided with individual or group therapy.
Your GP will usually request you to fill out a form so that they can refer you to a local mental health team. They will also ask what you require in terms of support. You will then be examined by a member of a mental health team that could include a psychiatrist, social worker or psychologist. In some instances a clinical nurse specialist will carry out your assessment and treatment. If you're in an emergency, you can call the NHS 111 helpline for immediate assistance. If you're already being supported by mental health services, it's best to 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 included plans to establish more multidisciplinary, community-based, place-based mental health teams with links to primary care networks. These plans will aid in improving the quality of care that is provided to those experiencing a mental health crisis and offer assistance within their communities and homes, rather than in hospital.
The plan also aimed to make crisis services more accessible by reducing waiting times and opening more beds. It would also include an ambulance for mental health and ensure that all ambulances are stocked with a mental liaison nurse within the control room to ensure that people experiencing a mental crisis are supported during emergency situations.
Treatment options
The NHS provides a wide range of treatment options for mental health issues. Disorders that are less severe are usually treated by GPs and more serious conditions require a specialist team. These teams work across both community and primary mental health services, and also the psychiatric hospitals. There are also safe spaces where you can get help when you're in a state of crisis.
Talking treatments for anxiety and depression are among the main kinds of treatment. These programs, previously known as IAPT (Interactive Assessment and Psychotherapy) have seen their referral numbers increase every year since they were introduced in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan commits to expanding these services to ensure that 1.9 million people can access them in 2023/2024.
Psychiatric medications are also a crucial element of treatment. They can help alleviate symptoms by altering the way the brain's chemicals function. They can be used to reduce the side effects of other treatments. Your doctor will prescribe the right medication for you.
There are many kinds of talking therapies, including group therapy and individual therapy. Some of these are delivered in person, whereas others can be done remotely. Some patients prefer face-to face treatment, but it's a matter of choice. There are also a lot of charities which offer support groups and classes, such as Mind. The site is full of information that is reliable, but be aware of the fact that there are a lot of false or misleading claims on the internet concerning mental health issues.
The NHS is advancing the mental health system, but it struggles to meet the demand. In the UK, there are 54 mental trusts. They receive the majority of funding for their services from clinical commissioning groups. They are usually located in a specific area, but can be commissioned to deliver national services.
A key issue is the insufficient resources to meet the demands of the rising population. There are concerns about the quality and availability of nurses and psychiatrists. The NHS is striving to improve its services by introducing new methods of working and offering more training. It also offers more secure and efficient ways to help people who are in crisis. These include mobile crisis teams, read more as well as safe spaces.
Supporting you
Since the NHS launched 70 years ago there have been numerous positive developments for those suffering from mental health problems. The options for treatment have grown and social barriers have been taken down. However, there is much to be done.
People who are experiencing mental health issues should get the help they need quickly and easily. This is why the NHS is working hard to improve services for people private mental health who need these services. We will ensure that every acute hospital does not have a mental health liaison in A&E departments and wards for inpatients by 2020/21. 70 percent of these services will meet the 'core 24' standard by 2023/24. We will work towards a 100% coverage rate after that.
We will also extend services for those who require them in the community, including therapy for talking, which will give hundreds of thousands of patients with severe or common mental health conditions the support they need. We will continue to develop the national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) program so that more people can be visited by therapists who are qualified, quicker.
The NHS provides free, confidential helplines to 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 provide a safe place to talk or read more provide advice and information on how to manage your mental health concerns.
In addition there are a variety of local organizations that provide assistance and support for those suffering from mental health issues. Self-help guides, coping methods and other activities are available. Many of these organizations offer face-toface support groups to those who prefer it.
The University's Open Door Team offers a drop-in counseling service for students who are struggling or stressed. There's also the Nightline student counselling service which offers confidential listening and support from skilled volunteers, as well as information on other services. Charities like Mind and Rethink can provide many sources of information and support both on the internet and in local groups. They offer a variety of courses and activities from mindfulness to art classes, which are beneficial for those with mental health issues.
Referrals
Mental health services are under strain and GPs have to make difficult choices about which specialist services to refer their patients to. The GP will look at the patient's medical background and recommend them to services they believe will be able to help. They might send a referral to an NHS trust or an independent service.
A mental health specialist will then review the referral and decide whether it's website appropriate or not. If the specialist isn't satisfied with the referral, they will contact the GP and explain the reasons. They can also request the GP for more information or to modify the referral.
The ability to refer patients to the local Community Mental Health Team can be made through the NHS e-Referral Service. The system allows doctors and other healthcare professionals to refer patients to either a preliminary clinical assessment service 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 type of mental health referral.
A here doctor may decide to refer a patient to an expert community mental health service (CMT). These are usually run by a major local healthcare organization or a hospital. CMTs are a great option for people who wish to consult a qualified psychiatrist or psychologist but do not require inpatient treatment. They can also provide an early intervention service, where a psychiatrist collaborates with a therapist to help a person overcome a problem or improve their quality of life.
One of the biggest challenges faced by a CMT is ensuring that all appropriate referrals are made within an appropriate time frame. One of the problems is that a lot of referrals are deemed as urgent, despite the fact that they might not be. This can result in delays and over-working for those who aren't in a crisis.
To combat this problem, a few CMHTs have tried to establish more uniform standards for what constitutes a referral urgent. This was achieved by using an established form that asks the referrer if they believe the case is urgent. The form includes a box that the referrer is able to tick to indicate if the referral is urgent.