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 providing services. This includes:
The Long Term Plan reaffirmed its commitment to boost investment in mental health services more quickly than the overall NHS budget. This will include specialist suicide prevention work.
Get assistance
One in four people will be affected by mental illness at one point during their lives. The good news is that there are many different ways to get help and most of us recover over time. It's important to understand the types of help available and who can provide it.
You can seek help from a variety of sources such as your doctor (primary medical doctor who treats patients), your local health centre or a community mental health team. These teams comprise of occupational and nurse speech therapists, and psychotherapists. They collaborate with patients who require their services. You can get individual or group therapy based on the kind of help you need.
Your GP will usually request you to fill out an application form to make a referral to a community mental health team. They will also speak to you about the kind of help you require. You will then be examined by someone from a mental health team, which could include a psychiatrist, social worker or psychologist. In some instances, a clinical nurse specialist will carry out your assessment and treatment. If you're experiencing a crisis, you can contact the NHS 111 helpline for urgent support. If you are already receiving mental health support, it is best to contact your regular team first, unless it is outside of hours, or on a weekend, or a bank holiday.
The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health detailed plans to establish multidisciplinary, community-based mental health teams that are linked to primary care networks. These will help to improve the quality of care that is given to those experiencing a mental health crisis and provide support within their communities and homes rather than in hospitals.
The plan also aims at making emergency services available by cutting down wait times and opening up more beds. It also proposed to introduce mental health transport vehicles and ensure that all ambulances have an official who is a mental health liaison in their control rooms to ensure people suffering from an illness of mental health are supported in emergency situations.
Treatment options
The NHS offers a wide array of treatment options for mental health conditions. Less severe disorders are often treated by GPs, while more serious disorders require specialists. These teams work across both community and primary mental health services, and also psychiatric hospitals. There are also safe spaces where you can seek assistance when you're in crisis.
Talking therapies are among the most common types of treatment for anxiety and depression. These programs, previously referred to as IAPT (Interactive Assessment and Psychotherapy), have seen their number of referrals increase each year since they first introduced in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan has set the goal of expanding these services to 1.9 million people by 2023/2024.
Psychiatric medicines are another important component of treatment. They can alleviate symptoms by altering the way that chemicals function in your brain. They can also be used to alleviate the side effects of other treatments. Your doctor will suggest the right medication for you.
A variety of talk therapy treatments are available, 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 an individual choice. Mind is one of the charities that provide support groups and courses. The website contains a wealth of information that is trustworthy but you should be aware that there are numerous false or misleading claims on the internet regarding mental health issues.
mental health screening is advancing mental health care but it's struggling to meet demand. In the UK, there are 54 mental trusts. The majority of them receive funding for their services from clinical commissioning group. They usually are located in a specific area however, they may be contracted to provide national services.
A key issue is the lack of 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 striving to improve its services by introducing new methods of work and delivering more training. It also introduces more secure and efficient ways to help people who are in crisis. This includes mobile crisis teams and safe spaces.
Helping you
Since the NHS was launched 70 years ago there have been positive developments for those suffering from mental health issues. The treatment options have increased and social barriers have been broken down. But there is more to be done.
People experiencing a mental health crisis require the ability to access the help they need quickly and easily. The NHS is working to improve its services to ensure that those who need them receive help. In 2020/21, we will ensure that all acute hospitals have a mental-health liaison service, both in A&E and on inpatient wards and that 70% of them will meet the standard of 24 by 2023/24. Then we will strive to achieve 100 percent coverage.
We will also expand community services, including talk therapy, in order to provide assistance to hundreds of thousands of individuals suffering from mental health conditions, whether they are common or severe. We will continue to develop the national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme so that more people can be treated by trained therapists more quickly.
The NHS offers free, confidential helplines to anyone struggling with a mental health issue. Samaritans Mind and Rethink are some of the helplines that are available. These helplines are operated by trained volunteers. They provide a safe space to talk, or offer guidance and information on how to deal with your mental health issues.
There are also a number local organizations that provide support and guidance to people with mental health issues. These can include self-help guides, coping strategies, and activities to try. Many of these organizations 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 experiencing stress or depression. There's also the Nightline student counselling service which provides 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 provide support in a variety of ways such as online and through local groups. They can provide a variety of activities and courses ranging from mindfulness to art classes, which are useful for people with mental health issues.
Referring someone to you
Mental health services are under pressure and GPs must make difficult decisions about the best specialist services to refer their patients to. The GP will consider the medical history of the patient and recommend them to services they believe will be able help. They can refer a patient either to an NHS trust, or an independent provider.
A mental health professional will then evaluate the referral and decide whether it's appropriate or not. If the specialist isn't satisfied with the referral, they'll contact the GP and explain the reasons. They can also request the GP to provide more information or to change the referral.
The referral to a local Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) can be made through the NHS e-Referral Service (e-RS). The system permits GPs and other healthcare professionals to refer people to either a mental health clinical assessment service or directly to an appointment with an outpatient. However, not all CMHTs provide both options, and the system cannot be used for every type of mental health referral.
A doctor may decide to refer a patient to an expert community mental health service (CMT). They are typically operated by a large local healthcare organization or a hospital. CMTs are a great option for people who wish to consult with a seasoned psychologist or psychiatrist but do not require inpatient treatment. They can also provide an early intervention service where a psychiatrist will work with the therapist to help a person overcome a problem or improve their life quality.
One of the major challenges faced by a CMT is how to ensure that all referrals are assigned within the proper time frame. Many referrals are deemed urgent, even though they might not be. This can cause patients who aren't in a crisis to be overworked and experience delays.
To address this issue, certain CMHTs are working to establish more uniform standards for what is an urgent referral. This has been accomplished through the use of the standardised referral forma that requires a referrer consider whether the case is urgent. The proforma includes a box for the referrer to check when they believe the referral is urgent.