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 quicker than the NHS budget in general. This will include specialized work in suicide prevention.
Getting help
One in four people will be affected by mental illness at one time in their lives. The good news is that there are a variety of different ways to seek assistance and the majority of us recover with time. It's important to understand what assistance is available and who can provide it.
You can seek assistance from a variety of sources like your GP (primary medical doctor who treats patients) as well as your local health center or a community mental health team. These teams consist of nurses, occupational therapists psychotherapists, psychotherapists and speech and language therapists who collaborate with people who use the service. Based on the type of help you require, you may be offered individual or group therapy.
Your GP will typically ask you to fill in the form so that they can send you a referral to a local mental health team. They will also ask you to specify what kind of support you need. You will then be examined by a member of a mental health team, which may include a psychiatrist, social worker or psychologist. In certain instances your evaluation and treatment will be carried out by a specialist in clinical nursing. You can call the NHS 111 helpline when you're in a crisis. If you're already being supported by mental health services, it's a good idea to contact your regular team first unless it's out of normal hours, on a weekend or on a bank holiday.
The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health detailed plans to create multidisciplinary, community-based mental health teams that are linked to primary care networks. These teams will improve the quality of mental health care delivered to people experiencing a crisis, and will provide assistance to patients in their own homes and communities rather than in hospitals.
The plan also aimed at help make crisis services more accessible by reducing wait times and allowing more beds. It also proposes the introduction of mental health transport vehicles and make sure 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 variety of treatment options for mental health issues. GPs are often able to treat less severe conditions, but more severe illnesses will require a specialist team. These teams work across primary and community mental health services and also the psychiatric hospitals. You can also seek assistance in a secure environment when you are in a 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 launch in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan commits to expanding these services to ensure that 1.9 million people can access them in 2023/2024.
Psychiatric medicines are another important part of treatment. They can improve symptoms by altering how the brain's chemicals work. They can be used to lessen the negative effects of other treatments. Your doctor will suggest a medicine that is right for you.
There are many different types of talk therapies, such as group therapy and individual therapy. Some of these can be delivered in person, whereas others can be delivered online. Some patients prefer face to face treatment, but it's the choice of the patient. There are also a lot of here charities that provide support groups and courses, such as Mind. Their website contains a wealth of information that is reliable, however you should be aware of the fact that there's plenty of false or website misleading information available on the internet regarding mental health issues.
While the NHS is improving its mental health care, it still struggles to keep up with demand. In the UK there are 54 mental trusts. They receive the majority of funding for their services from the clinical commissioning group. They are usually located in a specific region however, they may be commissioned to offer national services.
The shortage of resources is a major issue. There are concerns over the quality and shortage of psychiatrists and nurses. The NHS is working to improve the services by introducing new ways of work and providing more training. It also introduces safer and more effective ways to assist people in need like mobile crisis teams, as well as safe spaces.
Supporting you
Since the NHS was launched 70 years ago there have been a lot of positive developments for people suffering from mental health issues. Treatment options have expanded and social barriers are being broken down. But there is more to be done.
People who are suffering from mental health issues should get the help they need quickly and easily. The NHS is working to improve its services to ensure that those in need receive them. By 2020/21, we will make sure that all acute hospitals have a mental-health liaison service both in A&E and on wards for inpatients, and that 70% will meet the core 24 standard by 2023/24. We will then work towards 100% coverage.
We will also increase community services, including talking therapy, in order to provide support for hundreds of thousands of people with mental health issues regardless of whether they are serious or common. We will continue to work on our national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme (IAPT) in order to ensure that more people suffering from mental health problems can be seen quicker by qualified therapists.
The NHS offers confidential, no-cost assistance to anyone suffering from mental health issues. Samaritans Mind and Rethink are some of the helplines that are available. These helplines are operated by trained volunteers and provide the opportunity to talk with someone in a secure environment or give information and advice on how to manage your mental health concerns.
In addition, there are a number of local organizations that provide assistance and support for those with mental health issues. They can provide self-help guides, coping strategies, and activities to try. Many of these organizations provide support groups in person for those who prefer it.
The University's Open Door Team offers a drop-in counseling service for students who are experiencing stress or depression. Nightline is a student counseling service that offers private listening assistance, 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 can also offer many classes and activities, from mindfulness to art groups which can be helpful for those living with mental health issues.
Referring someone to you
Mental health services are under strain and GPs are forced to make difficult choices about which specialist services to refer their patients to. The GP will more info take a patient's medical history into account and then refer them to a service they think could be able to assist. 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 satisfied with the website referral they will contact the GP to discuss their decision and provide why. They might request the GP to modify the referral or request additional details.
Referrals 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 to send patients to either a preliminary assessment service for mental health or directly to an appointment. However not all CMHTs offer both options and the system isn't able to be used for every type of mental health referral.
A GP might also decide to refer a patient to an expert community mental health service (CMT). These are usually run by a large local here health organization or hospital. CMTs are a good choice for those who require to see a psychiatrist or psychologist, but do not require inpatient treatment. They also provide an early intervention service in which psychiatrists work with a psychotherapist to assist someone in overcoming an issue or improve the quality of their lives.
One of the major challenges faced by a CMT is to ensure that all appropriate referrals are allocated within the proper time frame. One of the issues is that a lot of referrals are considered urgent, even though they might not be. This can cause patients who aren't in a crisis to be overwhelmed and suffer delays.
To combat this problem, some CMHTs have attempted to establish more uniform guidelines for what constitutes an urgent referral. This is being achieved by using a standardised referral proforma that requires a referrer to consider whether the case is urgent. The form includes a box for the referrer to tick in the event that they believe that the referral is urgent.