Mental Health Services on the NHS
There has been a huge 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 increase investment in mental health services more quickly than the overall NHS budget. This includes specialist suicide prevention work.
Need help?
One of four of us will suffer from a mental health problem at some time in our lives. The good news is there are a variety of ways to seek help, and most of us will be able to recover with time. However, it is important to know what help is available, and who can offer it.
You can seek assistance from your GP, your local health center or mental health team within your community. These teams comprise of occupational and nurse psychotherapists and speech therapists. They work with people who use their services. Based on the kind of help you need, you may be offered individual or group therapy.
Your GP will usually request you to fill out an application form to send you a referral to a local mental health team. They will also talk with you about the kind of help you require. Then, you will be viewed by a member of the mental health team, which may comprise a psychiatrist social worker or psychologist. In certain instances, your assessment and treatment will be carried out by a specialist in clinical nursing. More can call the NHS 111 helpline if you are in a crisis. If you're already supported by mental health services, it's a good idea to try and contact your usual team first, unless it's outside of the normal hours, a weekend or on a bank holiday.
The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health detailed plans to create multidisciplinary mental health teams in the community which are connected to primary care networks. These will help to improve the quality of care that is provided to those suffering from a mental health crisis and offer support in their homes and communities rather than in hospitals.
The plan also aimed at make crisis services more accessible by reducing waiting times and opening more beds. It also proposes the introduction of mental health transport vehicles, and ensure that every ambulance has a mental health liaison nurse in their control rooms to improve the way that people who are having mental health issues are supported in emergency situations.
Treatment options
The NHS offers a range of treatment options for mental health problems. The less severe disorders are typically treated by GPs, while more serious conditions require specialists. These teams operate across both community and primary mental health services, and also mental health hospitals. You can also seek assistance in a secure space if you feel in crisis.
Talking Read the Full Guide for anxiety and depression are among the main kinds of treatment. These programs, formerly known as IAPT (Interactive Assessment and Psychotherapy), have seen their number of referrals increase each year since they introduced in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan commits to expanding these programs to ensure that 1.9 million people will be able to access them by 2023/2024.
Read the Full Guide are also an important component of treatment. They can help alleviate symptoms by altering the way the brain's chemicals work. They can also be used to reduce the side effects of other treatments. Your doctor will prescribe the best medicine for you.
There are many different types of talk therapy, including group therapy and individual therapy. Some of them are offered in person, whereas others can be delivered remotely. Some patients prefer face to face treatment, but it is a matter of choice. There are also a number of charities that provide classes and support groups like Mind. Their website contains a wealth of information that is reliable, however you must be aware that there's plenty of inaccurate or misleading information on the internet about mental health issues.
While the NHS is working to improve its mental health care however, it is still struggling to cope with demand. There are 54 mental health trusts across the UK and the majority of them receive funding from clinical commissioning groups to deliver their service. They typically are located in a particular region however, they can also be commissioned to provide national services.
The main issue is the insufficient resources to meet the demands of the rising population. There are also concerns over the quality of care and there is a shortage of psychiatrists and nurses. The NHS is working to improve these services by offering more training and developing new ways of working. It also introduces safer and more effective methods of treating people in crisis. These include mobile crisis teams and secure space.
We are here to help you
Since the NHS was first introduced 70 years ago, there have been positive developments for people suffering from mental health issues. The treatment options have gotten better and social barriers have been taken down. However, there is much to do.
People who are experiencing mental illness need to receive the assistance they require quickly and easily. That's why the NHS is striving to improve the services available to those who require these services. We will ensure that every acute hospital is without the mental health liaison service in A&E departments and inpatient wards by 2020/21. 70% of these services will meet the "core 24" standard by 2023/24, working towards a 100% coverage rate after that.
We will also enhance community services, including talk therapy, to provide support for hundreds of thousands of people with mental health problems regardless of whether they are common or severe. We will continue to develop the national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) program so that more people can be treated by trained therapists more quickly.
The NHS offers free, confidential helplines to anyone who is struggling with mental health issues. Samaritans Mind and Rethink are some of the helplines available. These helplines are run by trained volunteers and provide an environment where you can talk in a safe manner or give advice and information on how to tackle your mental health issues.
In addition to that, there are a lot of local organizations that provide support and guidance to those with mental health issues. These include self-help guides, coping strategies and activities to try. Many of these organizations offer face-toface support groups to those who would prefer it.
The University's Open Door Team offers a drop-in counseling service for students who are struggling or stressed. Nightline is a student counselling service that provides confidential listening as well as information and support from knowledgeable volunteers. Charities such as Mind and Rethink can provide many sources of information and support both on the internet and in local groups. They can also offer a variety of courses and activities, from mindfulness to art classes, which may be useful for those living with mental health problems.
Making a referral
With mental health services under pressure, GPs are having to make difficult decisions regarding the services they will refer patients to. The GP will consider the patient's medical background and refer them to services they believe will be able to aid. They may send a referral to an NHS trust or an independent service.
A mental health specialist will then assess the referral and decide whether it's appropriate or not. If the specialist isn't satisfied with the referral, they'll contact the GP to discuss their decision and explain why. They may also ask the GP to provide more information or to change the referral.
The ability to refer patients to a local Community Mental Health Team can be made through the NHS e-Referral Service. The system lets doctors and other healthcare professionals to refer patients to either a preliminary assessment service for mental health or directly to an appointment. However, not all CMHTs provide both options, and the system cannot be used for every type of mental health referral.
A GP may also refer a patient to a mental health specialist in the community service (CMT). They are typically run by an enormous hospital or a local health care organization. CMTs are a great alternative for those looking to see an experienced psychiatrist or psychologist but don't need inpatient treatment. They also offer an early intervention program, where a psychiatrist will work with an therapist to help a person overcome a crisis or increase their quality of life.
One of the biggest challenges that a CMT is to ensure that all appropriate referrals are assigned within an appropriate time frame. Many referrals are considered urgent even though they may not be. This can lead people who aren't experiencing a crisis to be overwhelmed and suffer delays.
To address this issue, a few CMHTs have tried to establish more uniform standards for what constitutes an urgent referral. This was achieved by using an established form that asks the referrer to indicate if the situation is urgent. The form includes a box that the referrer is able to tick to indicate if the referral is urgent.