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 offering services. This includes:
The Long Term Plan has made the commitment to increase investment in mental health services more quickly than the NHS budget overall. This includes the work of a specialist in suicide prevention.
Need help?
One in four people will be affected by a mental illness at some point during their lives. The good news is there are many avenues to seek help, and many of us will be able to recover over time. It's important to understand what assistance is available and who can offer it.
You can seek help from a variety places such as your GP (primary care medical doctor) or your local health centre or a community mental health team. These teams are made up of occupational therapists, nurses psychotherapists, psychotherapists, and speech and language therapists who collaborate with people who use the service. You can get individual or group therapy depending on the type of assistance you need.
Your doctor will typically request you to fill out an application form so that they can send you a referral to a community mental health team. They will also ask you what kind of support you need. Then, you will be viewed by a member of the mental health team that may include a psychiatrist, psychologist or social worker. In some cases, a clinical nurse specialist will carry out your assessment and treatment. You can call the NHS 111 helpline for assistance if you're in crisis. If you already receive support for your mental health it is recommended to contact your regular team first, unless it's outside of hours, or on 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. These teams will improve the quality of the care that is provided to those who are in a crisis, and will provide assistance to patients within their communities and at home rather than in hospitals.
The plan also aims to make emergency services available by decreasing waiting times and opening more beds. It would also introduce mental health transport vehicles and make sure that every ambulance has a mental health liaison nurse in their control rooms to ensure that people who are having a mental health crisis are assisted in emergencies.
Treatment options
The NHS offers a wide array of treatment options for mental health conditions. GPs are usually able to treat minor conditions, but more severe illnesses will require the assistance of a specialist team. These teams work in community and primary mental healthcare services, as well psychiatric hospital. You can also seek help in a safe space when you are in a crisis.
Talking therapies are one of the most commonly used forms of treatment for anxiety and depression. Previously 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 programs to 1.9 million people by 2023/2024.
Psychiatric medicines are also an important element of treatment. They can help alleviate symptoms by altering the way chemicals in your brain work. They can also help reduce the side effects of other treatments. Your doctor will prescribe the appropriate medication for you.
A variety of talk therapy options are offered, including group therapy and individual therapy. Some of these therapies can be delivered in person, while others can be performed remotely. Some patients prefer face-to face treatment, but it's a matter of choice. There are a variety of charities that offer support groups and courses like Mind. Their website contains a wealth of trustworthy information, but you should be aware that there is plenty of false or misleading information on the internet about mental health issues.
The NHS is advancing the mental health system, but it's struggling to meet the demands. There are 54 mental health trusts across the UK, and most of are funded by clinical commissioning groups to provide their services. They typically are located in a specific area however, they can also be commissioned to deliver national services.
A key issue is the insufficient resources to meet the growing demand. There are concerns over the quality and shortage of psychiatrists and nurses. The NHS is striving to improve its services by introducing new methods of work and providing more training. It also introduces more efficient and safer methods of treating people in crisis. how do you get a mental health assessment include mobile crisis teams, as well as safe space.
Supporting you
Since the NHS was launched 70 years ago, there have been positive developments for people suffering from mental health issues. Treatment options have increased and social barriers are breaking down. But there is much more to be done.
People experiencing mental health problems must be able to get the assistance they require quickly and easily. The NHS is working to improve services to ensure that those who need them receive them. 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. We will also ensure that 70 percent 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 individuals suffering from mental health conditions regardless of whether they are serious or common. We will continue to develop the national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme so that more people can be visited by therapists who are qualified, quicker.
The NHS provides free, confidential helplines for anyone suffering from a mental health issue. These include the Samaritans and Mind and Rethink. These helplines are run by volunteers who provide a safe place to talk or offer advice and guidance about how to handle your mental health concerns.
In addition to that, there are a lot of local organisations which can provide assistance and support for 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 feeling down or stressed. Nightline is a student counseling service that offers private listening assistance, information and support from experienced volunteers. Charities such as Mind and Rethink are a great source of information and provide support in a variety of ways such as online and through local groups. They can also offer a variety of courses and activities, from mindfulness to art groups, which may be useful for people suffering from mental health issues.
Referring someone to you
With mental health services under pressure, GPs have to make difficult decisions regarding which specialist services they can refer patients to. The GP will take a patient's medical history into account and then refer them to a specialist they think will be able to help. They can send a referral to an NHS trust, or to an independent provider.
A mental health professional will assess the referral to determine if the referral is appropriate or not. If the specialist isn't happy with the referral, they'll call the GP to discuss their decision and provide why. They may also ask the GP for more details or to alter 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 permits GPs and other health professionals to refer people to either a mental health clinical assessment or directly to an outpatient appointment. However, not all CMHTs provide both options, and the system isn't able to be used for every kind of mental health referral.
A GP can refer a patient to a mental health specialist in the community service (CMT). These are usually run either by an enormous hospital or a local healthcare organisation. CMTs are a great option for those who have to consult a psychologist or psychiatrist but do not require inpatient treatment. They can also provide an early intervention service where a psychiatrist works with a psychotherapist to help someone overcome an issue or improve the quality of their lives.
CMTs face the challenge of ensuring that all referrals are made within a reasonable time. Many referrals are deemed urgent, even though they might not be. This can lead to delays and over-working for people who aren't in need.
To address this issue, certain CMHTs are working to establish more uniform guidelines for what is considered an urgent referral. This is being achieved by using the standardised referral forma that requires the referrer to decide if the situation is urgent. The form includes a box for the referrer to check in the event that they believe that the referral is urgent.