Mental Health Services on the NHS
The NHS has responded to the rising number of mental health issues by providing services. This includes:
The Long Term Plan has made an unrepeatable commitment to increase the investment in mental health services quicker than the NHS budget in general. This includes specialist work in suicide prevention.
Get assistance
One out of four people will be affected by mental illness at one time in their lives. The good news is that there are plenty of different ways to get help and most of us recover after a while. It is important to know what assistance is available and who can provide it.
You can get help from your doctor or the local health center or a mental health service in your local area. These teams consist of nurses, occupational and speech therapists, and psychotherapists. They work with the people who use their services. Depending on the type of help you need you might be provided with individual or group therapy.
Your doctor will typically require you to fill out a form to send you a referral to a community mental health team. They will also ask you what you require in terms of support. You will then be examined by a member of the mental health team that may comprise a psychiatrist social worker or psychologist. In some cases a clinical nurse specialist will conduct your assessment and treatment. If you are experiencing crisis, contact the NHS 111 helpline for immediate support. If you are already receiving support for your mental health, it is best to contact your regular team first, unless it is out of office hours, on a weekend or bank holiday.
The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health set out plans to establish more multidisciplinary, community-based, place-based mental health teams that have links to primary care networks. These teams will increase the quality of mental health care provided to those in crisis, and offer support to them in their own homes and communities rather than in hospitals.
The plan also aims to make crisis services more accessible by decreasing waiting times and opening more beds. It also proposed to introduce mental health transport vehicles and make sure that all ambulances have an official who is a mental health liaison in their control rooms to improve the way that those suffering from an illness of mental health are assisted in emergencies.
Treatment options
The NHS offers a variety of treatment options for mental health problems. GPs typically have the ability to treat minor conditions, but more severe conditions will require a specialist team. These teams work in primary and community mental healthcare services as well as psychiatric hospitals. You can also seek assistance in a secure environment if you feel in crisis.
Talking therapies are among the most common types of treatment for anxiety and depression. Previously known as IAPT, these programs have seen the number of people who seek them increase every year since their introduction in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan commits to expanding these services to ensure that 1.9 million people will be able to use them in 2023/2024.
Psychiatric drugs are a different part of treatment. They can help alleviate symptoms by altering the way chemicals work in your brain. They can be used to reduce the side effects of other treatments. Your doctor will prescribe the best medication for you.
A wide variety of talking therapy options are offered, including group therapy and individual therapy. Some of these are delivered in person, while others can be delivered online. Some patients prefer treatment in person, but this is a personal preference. There are also a lot of charities that offer classes and support groups like Mind. The website contains a wealth of reliable information however, be aware that there are numerous false or misleading statements on the internet about mental health issues.
The NHS is improving mental health care but it is struggling to meet the demands. In the UK there are 54 mental trusts. They receive the majority of funding from the clinical commissioning group. They are usually located in a specific area, but they can be commissioned to offer national services.
One of the main issues is the insufficient resources to meet rising demand. There are also concerns about the quality of care, and there is a shortage of psychiatrists and nurses. The NHS is working to improve the quality of care by offering more training and developing new ways of working. It also introduces more efficient and safer methods of treating people who are in crisis. These include mobile crisis teams and safe spaces.
We are here to help you
Since the NHS was launched 70 years ago, there have been positive changes for those with mental health issues. The treatment options have gotten better and social barriers have been taken down. However, there is still much to be done.
People who are suffering from mental health issues should get the help they need quickly and easily. The NHS is striving to improve the quality of services to ensure that those who need them can get them. We will ensure that no acute hospital does not have a mental health liaison service in A&E departments and wards for patients by 2020/21, and that 70% of these services will meet the "core 24" standard by 2023/24. We will work towards achieving 100% coverage afterward.
We will also expand services for people who need them in the community, including therapy for talking, which will give hundreds of thousands of people with common or severe mental health issues the help they need. We will continue to work on the national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) program so that more people can be visited by therapists who are qualified, more quickly.
The NHS offers confidential, free assistance to anyone suffering from mental health issues. They include the Samaritans, Mind and Rethink. These helplines are run by trained volunteers. They offer a safe space to talk or give guidance and information on how to tackle your mental health issues.
There are a variety of local organisations that can provide support and guidance to people suffering from mental health issues. Self-help guides, coping techniques and other activities are available. Many of these organizations offer face-toface support groups to those who would prefer it.
For students, there is the University's Open Door Team which offers an opportunity to consult with a counsellor at any time for those who feel down or stressed. Nightline is a student counseling service that offers confidential listening as well as information and support from knowledgeable volunteers. Charities like Mind and Rethink are a great source of information and can provide support in a variety of ways, including online and through local groups. They can also offer a variety of courses and activities, from mindfulness to art groups which can be helpful for those living with mental health problems.
Referring someone to you
With mental health services under pressure, doctors are forced to make difficult choices about which specialist services they can refer patients to. The doctor will take a patient's medical history into account and then refer them to a service they think can assist. They might send a referral to an NHS trust or an independent service.
A mental health professional will examine the referral to determine if it is appropriate or not. If the specialist isn't pleased with the referral, they'll contact the GP to discuss their decision and explain why. Recommended Studying may also request the GP for more information or to modify the referral.
Referrals to a local Community Mental Health Team can be made using the NHS e-Referral Service. The system permits GPs and other healthcare professionals to refer patients to either a mental health clinical assessment service or directly to an outpatient appointment. However not all CMHTs provide both options, and the system cannot be used for every kind of mental health referral.
A doctor may decide to refer a person to an expert community mental health service (CMT). These are usually operated by a large local healthcare organization or hospital. CMTs are a great option for people who wish to consult with a seasoned psychologist or psychiatrist, but don't need inpatient treatment. They can also provide an early intervention program where psychiatrists work with a therapy therapist to assist someone in overcoming a crisis or improve the quality of their lives.
mental health check of the challenges faced by a CMT is how to ensure that all suitable referrals are allocated within the proper time frame. Many referrals are considered urgent, even though they might not be. This can cause patients who aren't experiencing a crisis to be rushed and suffer delays.
To combat this problem, a few CMHTs have tried to establish more uniform standards for what constitutes a referral urgent. This is being achieved through the use of a standardised referral proforma that requires the referrer to consider whether the case is urgent. The form has a checkbox that the referrer is able to tick if the request is urgent.