Mental Health Services on the NHS
There has been an enormous increase in people seeking help for mental health issues, and the NHS has responded by providing services. This includes:
The Long Term Plan has made a renewed commitment to grow the amount of money spent on mental health services faster than the NHS budget overall. This includes specialist suicide prevention work.
Get assistance
One in four of us will have mental health issues at some point in our lives. The good news is that there are plenty of different ways to seek help and most of us recover with time. It's important to understand what assistance is available and who can offer it.
You can seek help from a variety of sources such as your GP (primary care medical doctor), your local health center or a community mental health team. These teams are comprised of nurses, occupational and psychotherapists, as well as speech therapists. They work with the clients who seek their services. Depending on the type of help you require you might be provided with individual or group therapy.
You will be asked to fill out a form from your GP so they can refer you to a mental health professional in the community. They will also speak to you about what kind of help you need. You will be assessed by members of an interdisciplinary team of mental health professionals like a psychologist, psychiatrist or social worker. In some instances the assessment and treatment will be performed by a specialist in clinical nursing. You can contact the NHS 111 helpline when you're in an emergency. If you are already receiving mental health services It is recommended to contact your regular team first, unless it's out of office hours, on a weekend or a bank holiday.
The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health detailed plans to create multidisciplinary, community-based mental health teams which are connected to primary care networks. These teams will enhance the quality of mental health care provided to those in crisis, and provide support to those in their homes and community rather than in hospitals.
The plan also aims to make emergency services available by reducing wait times and opening up more beds. It also proposes a mental transport vehicle and ensure that all ambulances are outfitted with an individual who is a mental liaison nurse in the control room to ensure that those who are experiencing mental distress are supported during emergency situations.
Treatment options
The NHS offers a range of treatment options to treat mental health issues. Less severe disorders are often treated by GPs however more serious conditions require specialists. These teams are located in community and primary mental healthcare services as well as psychiatric hospitals. You can also seek assistance in a safe space when you are in a crisis.
Talking therapies for depression and anxiety are one of the main types of treatment. private mental health assessment uk I Am Psychiatry , formerly known as IAPT (Interactive Assessment and Psychotherapy), have seen their number of referrals increase each year since they were first introduced in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan has committed to expanding these programs to 1.9 million people by 2023/2024.
Psychiatric medications are another crucial part of treatment. They can alleviate symptoms by altering the way that chemicals function in your brain. They can also help ease side effects of other treatments. Your doctor will prescribe the appropriate medicine for you.
There are a variety of talk therapy, including group therapy and individual therapy. Some of these are delivered in person, but others can be delivered online. Some patients prefer to receive treatment in person, but that is a personal choice. Mind is one of the organizations that offer support groups and classes. The website contains a wealth of reliable information however, 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 improving the mental health system, but it is struggling to meet the demand. There are 54 mental health trusts across the UK and the majority of they receive funding from clinical commissioning groups to deliver their services. They are usually located in a specific area however, they can also be contracted to provide national services.
The lack of resources is a major problem. 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 offering more training and introducing new methods of working. It also offers more secure and efficient methods to treat people who are in crisis. This includes mobile crisis teams and safe space.
Helping you
Since the NHS was established 70 years ago there have been positive changes 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 in a mental crisis need to 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 receive help. By 2020/21, we will make sure that all acute hospitals have a mental-health liaison service, both in A&E and on inpatient wards, and that 70% of them will be in compliance with the core 24 standard by 2023/24. Then we will strive to achieve 100% coverage.
We will also expand community services, including talk therapy, to provide support for 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 can be seen by qualified therapists, more quickly.
The NHS offers confidential, free helplines to anyone struggling with mental health issues. These include the Samaritans and Mind and Rethink. These helplines are operated by trained volunteers. They provide a safe space to talk or provide information and advice on how to manage your mental health concerns.
Additionally there are a variety of local organizations that provide support and guidance to people with mental health problems. They can provide self-help guides, coping strategies and activities to try. Many of these organisations offer face-toface support groups to those who prefer it.
For students, there's the University's Open Door Team which offers the opportunity to visit a counselling center for those who are feeling low or stressed. There is also the Nightline student counselling service, which provides confidential listening and support from experienced volunteers, as well as information about other services. Charities like Mind and Rethink can provide an abundance of information and support both online and in local groups. They also offer various classes and activities, from mindfulness to art groups, which may be useful for people who suffer from mental health issues.
Referring someone to you
With mental health services under pressure, doctors are forced to make difficult choices about what specialist services they should refer patients to. The GP will take a patient's medical history into account and then recommend them to a service they think could be able to assist. They can send a referral either to an NHS trust, or an independent provider.
A mental health specialist will assess the referral to determine if it is appropriate or not. If the specialist isn't satisfied with the referral, they'll contact the GP and explain their reasons. They could request the GP to alter the referral or request additional information.
The ability to refer patients to a local Community Mental Health Team can be made through the NHS e-Referral Service. The system allows doctors and other healthcare professionals to refer patients to either an initial clinical 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 a patient to a mental health specialist in the community service (CMT). They are typically run by a large local healthcare organisation or hospital. CMTs are an excellent option for those who need to see a psychiatrist or psychologist but do not require inpatient treatment. They also offer an early intervention service where a psychiatrist will work with an psychotherapist to help a patient overcome a problem or improve their life quality.
One of the major challenges faced by a CMT is to ensure that all appropriate referrals are made within the proper time frame. One of the issues is that a large number of referrals are considered urgent, even though they may not be. This can result in delays and over-working for people who are not in crisis.
To address this issue certain CMHTs are working to establish more uniform guidelines for what is an urgent referral. This was achieved through a standardised form that asks the referrer to indicate if the case is urgent. The proforma has a box that the referrer can tick when the request is urgent.