Mental Health Services on the NHS
There has been an enormous increase in people seeking help for mental health issues, and the NHS has responded by providing services. This includes:
The Long Term Plan reaffirmed its commitment to boost investment in mental health services more quickly than overall NHS budget. This will include special suicide prevention services.
Get assistance
One in four people will suffer from a mental illness at some point during their lives. The good news is that there are many avenues to seek assistance, and the majority of us will be able to recover with time. But it's important to know what help is available and who can provide it.
You can seek assistance from a variety places such as your doctor (primary medical doctor who treats patients) as well as 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 with the people who utilize the service. You can get individual or group therapy, based on the kind of help you require.
Your GP will typically require you to fill out a form so that they can refer you to a community mental health team. They will also ask what kind of support you need. You will then be examined by a member of a mental health team, which could include a psychiatrist, social worker or psychologist. In some cases the assessment and treatment will be performed by a clinical nurse specialist. If you're in an emergency, you can call the NHS 111 helpline for urgent assistance. If you're already being supported by mental health services, it's best to try and contact your usual team first, unless it's out of core hours, the weekend or on a bank holiday.
The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health outlined plans to create more multidisciplinary, place-based community mental health teams with links to primary care networks. They will improve the quality of care that is provided to those experiencing an illness of mental health and offer assistance in their homes and communities rather than in hospitals.
The plan also aims at making emergency services available by decreasing wait times and allowing more beds. It also proposed to introduce mental health transport vehicles, and ensure that every ambulance has an official who is a mental health liaison in their control rooms to improve the way that people who are having an illness of mental health are helped in times of crisis.
Treatment options
The NHS provides a wide range of treatment options for mental health issues. GPs typically have the ability to treat less severe illnesses, however more serious illnesses will require the assistance of a specialist team. These teams operate in both community and primary mental healthcare services as well as psychiatric hospitals. You can also seek help in a secure space if you feel in crisis.
Talking therapies for depression and anxiety are among the main types of treatment. Formerly known as IAPT These programs have seen referrals increase every year since their introduction in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan has committed to expanding these services to 1.9 million people by 2023/2024.
The use of psychiatric medication is also an important element of treatment. They can help alleviate symptoms by altering the way that chemicals function in your brain. They can also be used to minimize the adverse effects of other treatments. Your doctor will suggest a medicine that is right for you.
There are many different types of talking therapies, including group therapy and individual therapy. Some of these treatments are delivered in-person, while others are available online. Some patients prefer face to face treatment, but it is the choice of the patient. Mind is one of the organizations that offer support groups and classes. Their website has a lot of information that is reliable, however you should be aware of the fact that there's a lot of false or misleading information on the internet about mental health issues.
The NHS is improving mental health care but it is struggling to meet demand. In the UK, there are 54 mental trusts. Most of them receive funding from the clinical commissioning groups. They typically are located in a specific region however, they can also be commissioned to provide national services.
The lack of resources is a major problem. There are concerns about the quality and shortage of psychiatrists and nurses. The NHS is trying to improve the quality of care by delivering more training and developing new ways of working. It also introduces more secure and efficient methods to treat people in crisis. This includes mobile crisis teams and secure spaces.
Helping you
Since the NHS launched 70 years ago there have been numerous positive changes for people with mental health problems. The treatment options have gotten better and social barriers have been broken down. But there is more to be done.
People who are experiencing mental illness need to receive the help they require quickly and easily. The NHS is working to improve services so that people in need receive assistance. We will ensure that every acute hospital does not have a 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, working towards a 100% coverage rate after that.
We will also enhance community services, including talk therapy, in order to provide support for hundreds of thousands of people with mental health issues regardless of whether they are serious or common. We will continue to work on our national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies program (IAPT), so that more people suffering from mental health issues can be seen quicker by qualified therapists.
The NHS offers confidential, no-cost helplines to anyone struggling with mental health issues. Samaritans Mind and Rethink are some of the helplines available. These helplines are operated by trained volunteers. They provide the opportunity to talk with someone in a secure environment 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 offer support and guidance for people with mental health problems. These can include self-help guides, coping strategies and activities to try. Many of these organisations offer support groups that meet face-to-face to those who would prefer it.
The University's Open Door Team offers a drop-in counseling service for students struggling or stressed. Nightline is a student counseling service that offers confidential listening assistance, information and support from experienced volunteers. Charities such as Mind and Rethink are a great source of information and can provide support in a variety of ways that include online and through local groups. They also offer various courses and activities, from mindfulness to art groups which can be helpful for those living with mental health problems.
Making a referral
With mental health services under pressure, GPs are having to make difficult decisions regarding what specialist services they should refer patients to. online mental health assessment will take the patient's medical history into account and then recommend them to a service they believe will be able to help. They may refer a patient to an NHS trust or an independent service.
A mental health specialist will then review the referral and decide if it's appropriate or not. If the specialist isn't satisfied with the referral, they'll call the GP to discuss their decision and provide the reasons. They could also ask the GP to alter the referral or request additional information.
Referrals to the local Community Mental Health Team can be made using the NHS e-Referral Service. The system permits GPs and other health professionals to refer people to either a preliminary mental health clinical assessment or directly to an outpatient appointment. Not all CMHTs provide both options, and the system cannot be used for all kinds of mental health referrals.
A GP may also decide to refer a person to a specialized community mental health service (CMT). They are typically operated by a large local healthcare organization or hospital. CMTs can be a good option for those who want to consult with a seasoned psychologist or psychiatrist but don't need inpatient treatment. They can also provide an early intervention service where a psychiatrist collaborates with the counselor to help someone overcome a problem or improve their life quality.
CMTs are faced with the task of ensuring that all referrals are received within a reasonable amount of time. One of the issues is that a lot of referrals are deemed as urgent, despite the fact that they may not be. This can lead to delays and over-working for people who aren't in need.
To address this issue, some CMHTs have attempted to establish more uniform standards for what constitutes a referral urgent. This has been achieved by using the standardised referral forma that requires a referrer to decide if the situation is urgent. The proforma has a box that the referrer can tick to indicate if the request is urgent.