Mental Health Services on the NHS
The NHS has responded to the increase in mental health issues by providing services. This includes:
The Long Term Plan reaffirmed its commitment to increase investment in mental health services more quickly than overall NHS budget. This will include specialist work in suicide prevention.
Get help
One in four of us will experience a mental health problem at some time in our lives. The good news is that there are plenty of different ways to seek help, and most people recover over time. It is important to know the types of help available and who can provide it.
You can seek help from your physician or the local health center or a mental health service in your area. These teams are comprised of nurses, occupational therapists psychotherapists, psychotherapists and speech and language therapists who work together with the people who utilize the service. You can receive individual or group therapy, based on the type of help you need.
Your doctor will typically request you to fill out an application form to make a referral to a local mental health team. They will also ask what you require in terms of support. Then, you will be viewed by a member of a mental health team, which may include a psychiatrist, psychologist or social worker. In some instances, a clinical nurse specialist will conduct your assessment and treatment. You can call the NHS 111 helpline if you are in an emergency. If you already receive support for your mental health it is recommended to contact your primary team first, unless it's out of office hours, 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 that have links to primary care networks. They will improve the quality of care provided to those suffering from a mental health crisis. They will also offer assistance within their communities and homes rather than in hospitals.
The plan also aims to make emergency services available by cutting down waiting times and opening more beds. It would also introduce an ambulance for mental health and ensure that all ambulances are equipped with an individual who is a mental liaison nurse in the control room to make sure that people experiencing a mental crisis are supported during emergency situations.
Treatment options
The NHS provides a wide range of treatment options for mental health issues. Disorders that are less severe are usually treated by GPs, while more serious disorders require specialists. These teams work across community and primary mental health services, as well as psychiatric hospitals. There are also safe places where you can seek help when you're in crisis.
Talking therapies for depression and anxiety are among the main treatments. Formerly known as IAPT These programs have seen referral numbers increase each 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.
The use of psychiatric medication is also a vital part of treatment. They can improve symptoms through changing the way chemicals work in your brain. They can also help alleviate the side effects of other treatments. Your doctor will recommend a medicine that is right for you.
A wide variety of talking therapy treatments are available which include group therapy as well as individual therapy. Some of these therapies are offered in person, while other can be performed online. Some patients prefer treatment in person, but this is a personal choice. Mind is one of many organizations that offer support groups and classes. The site is full of information that is trustworthy however, be aware that there are a lot of false or misleading statements that are posted on the internet concerning mental health issues.
While the NHS is advancing its mental health services, it still struggles to meet the demands. There are 54 mental health trusts across the UK, and most of they receive funding from clinical commissioning organizations to deliver their service. They typically are located in a particular region, but can be commissioned to provide national services.
One of the main issues is the insufficient resources to meet the growing demand. There are also concerns over the quality of care and there is a shortage of nurses and psychiatrists. The NHS is working to improve the quality of care by delivering more training and developing new ways of working. It also introduces safer and more effective ways to help people in crisis. These include mobile crisis teams and safe spaces.
We are here to help you
Since the NHS launched 70 years ago there have been a lot of positive developments for those suffering from mental health issues. The treatment options have increased and social barriers have been broken down. But there's still a lot to be done.
People who are suffering from mental health issues should receive the assistance they require quickly and easily. The NHS is working to improve services to ensure that those who need them are able to access them. By 2020/21, we will make sure that all acute hospitals have a mental health liaison service, both in A&E and on wards for inpatients, and that 70% of these will meet the standard of 24 by 2023/24. We will then work towards 100 percent coverage.
We will also extend services for people who need them in the community, which includes therapy for talking, which will give hundreds of thousands more patients with severe or common mental health conditions the support they require. We will continue to develop our national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies program (IAPT) in order to ensure that more people with mental health issues can be seen quicker by therapists who are qualified.
The NHS offers free, confidential helplines to anyone suffering from a mental health issue. Samaritans Mind and Rethink are some of the helplines available. These helplines are run by trained volunteers. They offer a safe space to talk, or offer information and advice on how to tackle your mental health concerns.
There are also local organizations that provide help and advice to those who suffer from mental health issues. These can include self-help guides, strategies for coping and activities to try. Many of these organisations provide support groups in person to those who prefer it.
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 that offers confidential listening and support from knowledgeable volunteers, as well as information about other services. Charities such as Mind and Rethink are a great source of information and offer support in many forms such as online and through local groups. They can provide a variety of activities and courses ranging from mindfulness to art classes, which can be beneficial for those suffering from mental health issues.
Referring someone to you
With mental health services under pressure, GPs have to make difficult decisions regarding the services they will refer patients to. The doctor will take a patient's medical history into consideration and then refer them to a service they believe could be able to assist. They can send a referral to an NHS trust, or to an independent provider.
A mental health professional will then review the referral and decide whether it's appropriate or not. If the specialist doesn't like the referral, they'll call the GP and explain the reasons. They could request the GP to modify the referral or request additional details.
Requests for a local Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) can be made through the NHS e-Referral Service (e-RS). The system allows GPs and other health professionals to refer people to either a mental health assessment or directly to an outpatient appointment. Not all CMHTs offer both options and the system is not able to be used for all types of mental health referrals.
A GP can also refer patients to a mental health specialist in the community service (CMT). They are typically run by an extensive hospital or a local healthcare organisation. CMTs can be a good alternative for those looking to consult a qualified psychologist or psychiatrist, but do not require inpatient treatment. private mental health care can also provide an early intervention service, where a psychiatrist works with a therapist to help a person overcome a crisis or improve their life quality.
CMTs have the responsibility of making sure that all referrals are received within a reasonable amount of time. Many referrals are deemed urgent, even if they may not be. This can cause people who aren't in a crisis to be rushed and suffer delays.
To address this issue, some CMHTs are trying to establish more consistent standards for what is an urgent referral. This is being achieved through the use of a standardised referral proforma that requires a referrer consider whether the case is urgent. The proforma includes a box for the referrer to check if they feel that the referral is urgent.