Mental Health Services on the NHS
There has been an enormous 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 in general. This will include specialist suicide prevention work.
Need help?
One out of four of us will experience mental health issues at some moment in our lives. The good news is that there are many avenues to seek help, and most of us will recover with time. However, it is important to know what help is available and who can offer it.
You can seek help from a variety places, including your GP (primary care medical doctor) as well as your local health centre or a community mental health team. These teams consist of occupational and nurse psychotherapists and speech therapists. They work with the patients who require their services. You may receive individual or group therapy based on the kind of help you require.
You will be asked to complete a form with your doctor so that they can refer you to a mental health professional in the community. They will also speak to you about the kind of assistance you require. Then, you will be viewed by a member of a mental health team, which may include a psychiatrist, social worker or psychologist. In some instances your evaluation and treatment will be performed by a specialist in clinical nursing. If you are experiencing an emergency, you can contact the NHS 111 helpline for urgent assistance. If you are already receiving mental health support, it is best to call your usual team first, unless it is out of hours, on a weekend or a bank holiday.
The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health detailed plans to create multidisciplinary, community-based mental health teams that are connected to primary care networks. These teams will improve the quality of mental health care delivered to people experiencing a crisis, and offer support to patients in their homes and community rather than in hospitals.
The plan also aims at making crisis services accessible by cutting down waiting times and opening more beds. It would also introduce an ambulance for mental health and ensure that all ambulances are stocked with a mental liaison nurse in the control room to improve how people experiencing a mental crisis are helped in times of crisis.
Treatment options
The NHS offers a wide array of treatment options for people suffering from mental health problems. GPs are often able to treat milder illnesses, however more serious issues will require the assistance of a specialist team. These teams are spread across both community and primary mental health services and psychiatric hospitals. There are also safe spaces where you can seek help when you're in a crisis.
Talking treatments for anxiety and depression are among the main treatments. Formerly known as IAPT These programs have seen referral numbers increase each year since their launch in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan commits to expanding these programs to ensure that 1.9 million people can access them by 2023/2024.
Psychiatric medicines are another important aspect of treatment. They can alleviate symptoms by altering the way chemicals work in your brain. They can also be used to reduce the effects of other treatments. Your doctor will prescribe the right medication for you.
There are many different types of talking therapies, including group therapy and individual therapy. Some of these are delivered in person, but others can be done remotely. Some patients prefer face-to face treatment, but it is an individual choice. Mind is one of many organizations that offer support groups and courses. The website contains a wealth of information that is trustworthy but you should be aware of the fact that there are numerous false or misleading statements on the internet about mental health issues.
While the NHS is working to improve its mental health care but it's still struggling to meet the demands. There are 54 mental health trusts across the UK and the majority of them receive funding from clinical commissioning groups to deliver their services. They usually are located in a specific region however they can also be commissioned to provide national services.
The absence of resources is a major problem. There are also concerns about the quality of care and there is a shortage of psychiatrists and nurses. The NHS is working to improve these services by providing more training and introducing new ways of working. It also offers more secure and efficient ways to help those who are in crisis. These include mobile crisis teams and secure space.
Helping you
Since the NHS was launched 70 years ago, there are positive changes for those with mental health issues. Treatment options have increased and social barriers are being broken down. But there is much more to be done.
People experiencing mental health problems require the ability to access the help they require quickly and easily. mental health assessment is working to improve services so that people in need can get assistance. By 2020/21, we will make sure that all acute hospitals offer a mental health liaison service both in A&E and on inpatient wards and that 70% of these will be in compliance with the core 24 standard by 2023/24. Then we will work towards 100% coverage.
We will also increase services for people who need them in the community, such as therapy for talking, which will give hundreds of thousands more patients with severe or common mental health conditions the assistance they need. We will continue to develop the national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) program so that more people can be seen by qualified therapists, quicker.
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 entirely by volunteers who provide the opportunity to talk in a secure environment or offer advice and guidance on how to deal your mental health issues.
There are a variety of local organizations that can offer help and advice to those who suffer from mental health issues. Self-help guides, coping techniques and other activities are available. A lot of these organizations provide support groups in person for those who prefer this method.
For students, there is the University's Open Door Team which offers the opportunity to visit a counselling center for those feeling depressed or stressed. Nightline is a student counseling service that provides confidential listening assistance, information and support from knowledgeable volunteers. Charities like Mind and Rethink can provide an abundance of information and support, both on the internet and in local groups. They also offer a variety of classes and activities, from mindfulness to art groups which can be helpful for people who suffer from mental health problems.
Making a referral
Mental health services are under strain and GPs must make difficult choices regarding which specialist services they should refer their patients to. The doctor 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 send a referral to an NHS trust or an independent service.
A mental health professional will examine the referral to determine if the referral is appropriate or not. If the specialist isn't pleased with the referral they will contact the GP to discuss their decision and explain why. They might also ask the GP to change the referral or ask for more details.
Requests for a local Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) may be made via the NHS e-Referral Service (e-RS). The system allows GPs and other health professionals to refer people to either a preliminary mental health clinical assessment service or directly to an outpatient appointment. Not all CMHTs offer both options and the system can't be used for all kinds of mental health referrals.
A GP might decide to refer a person to a specialist community mental health service (CMT). They are usually managed by an enormous hospital or a local health care organization. CMTs are a good choice for those who require to consult a psychologist or psychiatrist but don't require inpatient care. They also offer an early intervention program, where a psychiatrist will work with the psychotherapist to help a patient overcome a crisis or improve their quality of life.
One of the major challenges faced by a CMT is ensuring that all appropriate referrals are made within the proper time frame. One of the problems is that a lot of referrals are considered urgent, despite the fact that they may not be. This can result in delays and over-working for those who aren't in a crisis.
To tackle this issue, some CMHTs are trying to establish more consistent standards for what is an urgent referral. This was achieved by using a standardised form that asks the referrer if the case is urgent. The form includes a box that the referrer can tick if they feel that the referral is urgent.