Mental Health Services on the NHS
There has been a huge rise in people seeking help for mental health issues and the NHS has responded by providing services. This includes:
The Long Term Plan has made an unrepeatable commitment to increase the investment in mental health services faster than the NHS budget overall. This includes special suicide prevention services.
Getting help
One of four people will suffer from mental illness at some point during their lives. The good news is that there are many avenues to seek assistance, and the majority of us will improve with time. It is important to know the types of help available and who can provide it.
You can get help from your physician, your local health center or a mental health team within your community. These teams comprise of occupational and nurse psychotherapists, as well as speech therapists. They work with the clients who seek their services. You can get individual or group therapy based on the type of assistance you require.
Your GP will usually request you to fill out a form so that they can make a referral to a community mental health team. They will also ask you to specify what type of assistance you require. Then, you will be viewed by a member of the mental health team that could include a psychiatrist, social worker or psychologist. In some cases, a clinical nurse specialist will carry out your assessment and treatment. If you're experiencing crisis, contact the NHS 111 helpline for immediate support. If you're already being assisted by mental health services, it's best to contact your regular team first unless it's out of the normal hours, 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 provided to those experiencing an illness of mental health and provide support in their homes and communities rather than in hospitals.
The plan also aimed at help 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 all ambulances have an official who is a mental health liaison in their control rooms to ensure that people who are having a mental health crisis are helped in times of crisis.
Treatment options
The NHS provides a wide range of treatment options for mental health issues. GPs are usually able to treat minor illnesses, however more serious illnesses will require the assistance of a specialist team. These teams are located in community and primary health services for mental health and psychiatric hospitals. You can also seek assistance in a safe space should you be in a state of crisis.
Talking therapies are one of the most commonly used forms of treatment for depression and anxiety. These programs, formerly known as IAPT (Interactive Assessment and Psychotherapy) have seen their referral numbers increase each year since they were first introduced in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan commits to expanding these programs so that 1.9 million people will be able to use them in 2023/2024.
Psychiatric medications are another crucial aspect of treatment. They can improve symptoms through changing the way chemicals work in your brain. They can also help ease side effects of other treatments. Your doctor will suggest the right medication for you.
There are many different types of talking therapies, including group therapy and individual therapy. Some of these therapies are offered in person, while other can be done via remote access. read this prefer to receive treatment in person, but this is a personal decision. Mind is one of many charities that offer support groups and classes. Their website has a lot of trustworthy information, but you must be aware that there is a lot of false or misleading information available on the internet regarding mental health issues.
The NHS is working to improve mental health care but it's struggling to meet the demand. In the UK there are 54 mental trusts. Most of them receive funding for their services from the clinical commissioning groups. They are usually located in a specific region, but they can 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 trying to improve the quality of care by introducing new ways of work and providing more training. It also introduces more secure and efficient methods to treat people in crisis like mobile crisis teams and secure spaces.
We are here to help you
Since the NHS was launched 70 years ago there have been numerous positive developments for people suffering from mental health issues. Treatment options have expanded and social barriers are being taken down. But there's still a lot to do.
People who are suffering from mental illness need to receive the help they require quickly and easily. The NHS is working to improve services so that people in need can get help. In 2020/21, we will ensure 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 be in compliance with the core 24 standard by 2023/24. We will then strive to achieve 100 percent coverage.
We will also expand services for people who need them in the community, including talking therapies, to give hundreds of thousands of people suffering from severe or common mental health issues the help they require. We will continue to work on the national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) program to ensure that more people can be seen by qualified therapists, more quickly.
The NHS provides 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 entirely by volunteers who provide a safe place to talk or provide advice and information on how to manage your mental health issues.
There are a variety of local organisations that can provide assistance and support to those suffering from mental health issues. These can include self-help guides, strategies for coping and activities to try. Many of these organizations provide support groups in person 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 confidential listening as well as information and support from knowledgeable volunteers. Charities such as Mind and Rethink can provide a wealth of information and assistance, both on the internet and in local groups. They also offer various classes and activities, from mindfulness to art groups which can be helpful for people who suffer from mental health issues.
Referrals
Mental health services are under pressure and GPs must make difficult decisions about the best specialist services to refer their patients to. The doctor will take into consideration the patient's medical background and refer them to services they believe can help. They may send a referral to an NHS trust or an independent provider.
A mental health specialist will then evaluate the referral and decide if it's appropriate or not. If the specialist isn't pleased with the referral they will contact the GP to discuss their decision and explain the reasons. They could also ask the GP to change the referral or request additional information.
Referrals to the local Community Mental Health Team can be made through the NHS e-Referral Service. The system allows GPs as well as other health professionals to refer people to either a preliminary mental health clinical assessment service or directly to an appointment with an outpatient. 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 a patient to a mental health specialist in the community service (CMT). These are usually run by a major local healthcare organisation or hospital. CMTs are a great option for people who wish to consult a qualified psychologist or psychiatrist but don't need inpatient treatment. They also provide an early intervention service where psychiatrists work with a psychotherapist to assist a person overcome any crisis or improve the quality of their lives.
CMTs are faced with the task of making sure that all referrals are received within a reasonable amount of time. One of the issues is that many referrals are deemed as urgent, despite the fact that they might not be. This can cause patients who aren't in a crisis to be overwhelmed and suffer delays.
To address this issue certain CMHTs are working to establish more uniform standards for what is considered an urgent referral. This was achieved through an established form that asks the referrer to indicate if the case is urgent. The form includes a box for the referrer to tick when they believe that the referral is urgent.