Mental Health Services on the NHS
The NHS has responded to the rising number of mental health problems 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 in general. This will include specialist work in suicide prevention.
Get help
One in four of us will have mental health issues at some time in our lives. The good news is that there are many ways to get help, and many of us will recover over time. It is crucial to know what help is available and who can provide it.
You can get help from your doctor or your local health center, or a mental health team within your local area. These teams are comprised of nurses, occupational and speech therapists, and psychotherapists. They collaborate with clients who seek their services. Depending on the type of help you need, you may be offered individual or group therapy.
You will be asked to fill out a form from your doctor so that they can refer you to a mental health service in the community. They will also ask you what you require in terms of support. You will then be examined by a member of a mental health team that may comprise a psychiatrist psychologist or social worker. In certain instances, your assessment and treatment will be conducted by a specialist in clinical nursing. You can call the NHS 111 helpline for assistance if you're in crisis. If you're already supported by mental health services it's a good idea to call your usual team first, unless it's out of the normal hours, a weekend or a bank holiday.
The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health outlined plans to create more multidisciplinary, place-based community mental health teams, with connections to primary care networks. They will improve the quality of care provided to those experiencing a mental health crisis. They will also offer support in their homes and communities, rather than in hospital.
The plan also aimed to help make crisis services more accessible by reducing wait times and allowing more beds. It also proposes a mental transport vehicle and ensure that all ambulances are outfitted with an individual who is a mental liaison nurse in the control room to make sure that people experiencing a mental crisis are assisted in emergency situations.
Treatment options
The NHS provides a variety of treatment options to treat mental health issues. Less severe disorders are often treated by GPs, while more serious disorders require a specialist team. These teams are located in primary and community mental healthcare services, as well psychiatric hospital. You can also seek help in a secure environment should you be in a state of crisis.
Talking therapies are among the most commonly used forms of treatment for anxiety and depression. Previously known as IAPT the programs have seen the number of people who seek them increase each year since they were introduced in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan has committed to expanding these services to 1.9 million people by 2023/2024.
Psychiatric drugs are a different component of treatment. They can improve symptoms by changing the way the brain's chemicals function. They can also be used to alleviate the side effects of other treatments. Your doctor will prescribe the best medicine for you.
There are many kinds of talk therapy, including individual therapy and group therapy. Some of these treatments are offered in person, while other are available via remote access. Some patients prefer face-to face treatment, but it is an individual choice. There are also a number of charities which offer support groups and courses, such as Mind. Their website contains a wealth of trustworthy information, but you should be aware that there is lots of false or misleading information available on the internet regarding mental health issues.
The NHS is advancing the quality of mental health care, but it's struggling to meet the demands. In the UK there are 54 mental trusts. The majority of them receive funding from the clinical commissioning groups. They typically are located in a specific area, but they can be commissioned to offer national services.
One of the main issues is the insufficient resources to meet the demands of the rising population. There are also concerns about 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 is also introducing more efficient and safer methods to help people in crisis including mobile crisis teams and secure spaces.
Supporting you
Since the NHS launched 70 years ago there have been a lot of positive developments for those suffering from mental health problems. Treatment options have expanded and social barriers are being taken down. But there's still a lot to be done.
People who are experiencing mental illness need to get the help they need quickly and easily. That's why the NHS is putting in the effort to improve the quality of services for those who require these services. We will ensure that every acute hospital is without a mental health liaison in A&E departments and inpatient wards by 2020/21, and that 70% 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 expand community services, including talking therapy, to offer assistance to hundreds of thousands of people with mental health problems, whether they are common or severe. We will continue to develop the national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) program to ensure that more people are treated by trained therapists more quickly.
The NHS offers confidential, free helplines to those suffering from mental health issues. Samaritans Mind and Rethink are some of the helplines that are available. These helplines are run entirely by volunteers who provide a safe place to talk or give advice and information on how to deal your mental health issues.
There are also a number local organizations that provide assistance and support to those suffering from mental health issues. They can provide self-help guides, strategies for coping and activities to try. Many of these organisations also offer face-to-face support groups for those who prefer this option.
The University's Open Door Team offers a drop-in counseling service for students who are feeling down or stressed. There's also the Nightline student counselling service, which offers confidential listening and support from skilled volunteers, or information about other services. Charities like Mind and Rethink can provide a wealth of information and assistance, both online and in local groups. They offer a variety of activities and courses ranging from mindfulness to art classes that are beneficial for those with mental health issues.
Making a referral
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 consider the medical history of the patient and refer them to services they believe will be able to assist. They may send a referral to an NHS trust or an independent provider.
A mental health specialist will then evaluate the referral and decide whether it's appropriate or not. If the specialist doesn't like the referral, they will contact the GP and explain why. They might also ask the GP to alter the referral or request more details.
Referrals to the local Community Mental Health Team can be made using the NHS e-Referral Service. The system allows GPs and other healthcare professionals to refer people to either a preliminary mental health clinical assessment service or directly to an appointment with an outpatient. However, not all CMHTs provide both options, and the system can't be used for every type of mental health referral.
click here to find out more may also refer patients to a community mental health specialist service (CMT). These are usually run either by an enormous hospital or a local healthcare organisation. CMTs can be a good option for those who want to consult a qualified psychologist or psychiatrist but don't require inpatient care. They also provide an early intervention program where a psychiatrist works with a therapist in order to help someone overcome an issue or improve the quality of their lives.
CMTs have the responsibility of making sure that all referrals are received within a reasonable time. One of the problems is that a lot of referrals are considered urgent, even though they may not be. This can result in delays and over-working for those who aren't in a crisis.
To tackle this issue, a few CMHTs have tried to establish more uniform guidelines for what constitutes an urgent referral. This is being achieved through the use of an established referral form that requires a referrer determine if the case is urgent. The form has a checkbox that the referrer can tick to indicate if the request is urgent.