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 has made the commitment to increase the amount of money spent on mental health services faster than the NHS budget in general. This includes specialist suicide prevention work.
Get assistance
One out of four people will suffer from mental illness at one point during their lives. The good news is that there are plenty of different options to seek help, and most people recover with time. It is important to know the types of help available and who can provide it.
You can seek assistance from your GP or the local health center or mental health team in your community. These teams are comprised of occupational therapists, nurses psychotherapists, psychotherapists and speech and language therapists who work with those who utilize the service. You can get individual or group therapy based on the kind of help you need.
Your doctor will typically request you to fill out the form to refer you to a community mental health team. mental health assessment will also speak to you about the type of help you need. You will be consulted by members of the mental team, such as a psychologist, psychiatrist or social worker. In some cases the assessment and treatment will be carried out by a nurse specialist. You can contact the NHS 111 helpline for assistance if you're in crisis. If you're already being assisted by mental health services, it's a good idea to try and contact your usual team first unless it's out of core hours, the weekend or a bank holiday.
The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health detailed plans to establish multidisciplinary, community-based mental health teams which are connected to primary care networks. These teams will increase the quality of the care provided to those in crisis, and will provide assistance to them in their own homes and communities instead of in hospitals.
The plan also aimed to help make crisis services more accessible by reducing wait times and opening more beds. It also proposes an ambulance for mental health and ensure that all ambulances are stocked with a mental liaison nurse in the control room to make sure that those who are experiencing mental distress are helped in times of crisis.
Treatment options
The NHS offers a range of treatment options to treat mental health conditions. The less severe disorders are typically treated by GPs, while more serious disorders require a specialist team. These teams work across community and primary mental health services and also psychiatric hospitals. There are also safe places where you can get help when you're in a crisis.
Talking therapies for depression and anxiety are among the main treatments. These programs, previously known as IAPT (Interactive Assessment and Psychotherapy) have seen their numbers of clients increase each year since they introduced 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 by 2023/2024.
Psychiatric medicines are also a vital part of treatment. They can improve symptoms through altering the way that chemicals function in your brain. They can be used to minimize the adverse effects of other treatments. Your doctor will prescribe the appropriate medicine for you.
A wide range of talking therapy options are offered which include group therapy as well as individual therapy. Some of these therapies are delivered in-person, while others are available online. Some patients prefer treatment in person, but that is a personal preference. There are a variety of charities which offer support groups and classes, such as Mind. The website contains a wealth of information that is trustworthy but you should be aware of the fact that there are many false or misleading statements that are posted on the internet about mental health issues.
The NHS is working to improve the mental health system, but it struggles to meet the demand. There are 54 mental health trusts across the UK, and most of them receive funding from clinical commissioning groups to deliver their services. They are usually located in a particular region however, they may be contracted to provide national services.
A key issue is the lack of resources to meet rising demand. There are concerns about the quality and availability of nurses and psychiatrists. The NHS is working to improve the quality of care by delivering more training and introducing new methods of working. It is also introducing more efficient and safer methods to treat people in crisis including mobile crisis teams, as well as safe places.
We are here to help 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 taken down. However, there is still much to be done.
People experiencing mental health problems must be able to get the assistance they require quickly and easily. That's why the NHS is putting in the effort to improve services for people who need them. We will ensure that no acute hospital is without a mental health liaison in A&E departments and inpatient wards by 2020/21. We will also ensure that 70% of these services will meet the "core 24" standard by 2023/24, working towards achieving 100% coverage afterward.
We will also increase community services, including talk therapy, to offer assistance to hundreds of thousands of individuals suffering from mental health conditions regardless of whether they are severe or common. We will continue to work on the national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) program so that more people are visited by therapists who are qualified, faster.
The NHS offers free, confidential helplines to anyone suffering from mental health issues. These include the Samaritans and Mind and Rethink. These helplines are run entirely by volunteers who offer the opportunity to talk in a secure environment or provide advice and information on how to deal your mental health concerns.
In addition to that, there are a lot of local organizations that provide support and guidance to those suffering from mental health issues. These can include self-help guides, coping strategies and activities to try. Many of these organizations also offer support groups that meet face-to-face for those who prefer this option.
For students, there's the University's Open Door Team which offers an opportunity to consult with a counsellor at any time for those feeling 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 various forms that include online and through local groups. They offer a variety of courses and activities including mindfulness classes to art classes, which are useful for people with mental health issues.
Referring someone to you
Mental health services are under pressure and GPs have to make difficult choices about which specialist services they should refer their patients to. The doctor will take into consideration the medical history of the patient and refer them to services they believe will be able to assist. They may send a referral to an NHS trust or an independent provider.
A mental health specialist will examine the referral to determine if it's appropriate or not. If private mental health assessment doesn't like the referral, they will call the GP and explain the reasons. They may also ask the GP to provide more information or to modify the referral.
The referral to a local Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) may be made via the NHS e-Referral Service (e-RS). The system lets doctors and other healthcare professionals send patients to either a preliminary assessment for mental health or directly to an appointment. Not all CMHTs offer both options and the system cannot be used for all types of mental health referrals.
A doctor may also refer patients to a mental health specialist in the community service (CMT). They are typically run by a major local health organization or a hospital. CMTs are a great option for those who need to consult a psychologist or psychiatrist but don't require inpatient treatment. They can also provide an early intervention program where a psychiatrist works with a therapist in order to assist someone in overcoming a crisis or improve the quality of their life.
One of the major challenges faced by CMTs CMT is ensuring that all suitable referrals are made within an appropriate time frame. One of the problems is that a large number of referrals are deemed urgent, despite the fact that they may not be. This can lead people who aren't in crisis to be overworked and experience delays.
To address this issue, a few CMHTs have tried to establish more uniform standards for what constitutes an urgent referral. This was achieved by using a standardised form which asks the referrer if they believe the case is urgent. The proforma has a box that the referrer is able to tick when the referral is urgent.