Mental Health Services on the NHS
There has been a huge increase in people seeking treatment for mental health issues and the NHS has responded by offering services. This includes:
The Long Term Plan has made the commitment to increase the amount of money spent on mental health services quicker than the NHS budget in general. This will include specialized work in suicide prevention.
Helping yourself
One in four of us will experience mental health issues at some moment in our lives. The good news is there are many ways to get help, and many of us will be able to recover over time. It is crucial to know what assistance is available and who can provide it.
You can seek assistance from a variety places such as your GP (primary care medical doctor), your local health center or a community mental health team. These teams consist of occupational and nurse psychotherapists and speech therapists. They work with people who use their services. You may receive individual or group therapy, based on the kind of help you need.
You will be asked to fill out a form from your doctor so that they can refer you to a mental health team in the community. They will also speak to you about the kind of help you need. You will be seen by a member of an interdisciplinary team of mental health professionals which includes psychologist, psychiatrist or social worker. In certain instances, a clinical nurse specialist will perform your assessment and treatment. If you are experiencing an emergency, you can call the NHS 111 helpline for immediate support. If you're already supported by mental health services it's a good idea to try and contact your usual team first, unless it's outside of normal hours, on a weekend or a bank holiday.
The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health detailed plans to establish multidisciplinary mental health teams in the community that are linked to primary care networks. These teams will increase the quality of the care delivered to people experiencing a crisis, and offer support to patients in their homes and community instead of in hospitals.
The plan also aimed at help make crisis services more accessible by reducing wait times and opening more beds. It also proposed to introduce mental health transport vehicles and make sure that all ambulances have a mental health liaison nurse in their control rooms to ensure people suffering from mental health issues are assisted in emergencies.
this page provides a wide range of treatment options for mental health conditions. GPs typically have the ability to treat minor conditions, but more severe illnesses will require an expert team. These teams are spread across community and primary mental health services and also the psychiatric hospitals. There are also safe spaces where you can get help for those who are in a crisis.
Talking therapies are among the most popular forms of treatment for depression and anxiety. These programs, previously referred to as IAPT (Interactive Assessment and Psychotherapy) have seen their numbers of clients increase every year since they were first introduced in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan has committed to expanding these services to 1.9 million people by 2023/2024.
Psychiatric medicines are another important aspect of treatment. They can help alleviate symptoms by changing the way chemicals work in your brain. They can also be used to lessen the negative effects of other treatments. Your doctor will prescribe the right medication for you.
There are many different types of talk therapy, including group therapy and individual therapy. Some of them are offered in person, whereas others can be done via a remote device. Some patients prefer treatment in person, but this is a personal choice. There are also a lot of charities that offer support groups and classes, such as Mind. The website contains a wealth of information that is trustworthy however, be aware that there are numerous false or misleading statements on the internet regarding mental health issues.
While the NHS is improving its mental health care however, it is still struggling to keep up with demand. There are 54 mental health trusts in the UK, and most of them receive funding from clinical commissioning groups to provide their service. They usually are located in a specific region, but they can be contracted to provide national services.
The shortage of resources is a major issue. There are concerns about the quality of care and the shortage of nurses and psychiatrists. The NHS is striving to improve its services by introducing new ways of work and providing more training. It also provides more efficient and safer methods to treat people in crisis. These include mobile crisis teams, as well as safe space.
We are here to help you
Since the NHS was first introduced 70 years ago there are positive changes for those with mental health issues. The treatment options have gotten better and social barriers have been smashed down. However, there is still much to be done.
People who are in a mental crisis need to receive the help they require quickly and easily. This is why the NHS is striving to improve services for people who require these services. By 2020/21, we will make sure that all acute hospitals offer a mental health liaison service that is available in A&E as well as on wards for patients, and that 70% of them will meet the standard of 24 by 2023/24. We will then strive for 100 percent coverage.
We will also increase services for people who need them in the community, including psychotherapy, in order to provide hundreds of thousands of people suffering from severe or common mental health issues the help they require. We will continue to develop our national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies program (IAPT), so that more people with mental health conditions are seen faster by qualified therapists.
The NHS offers free, confidential helplines for anyone suffering from a mental health issue. Samaritans Mind and Rethink are some of the helplines available. These helplines are run by volunteers who provide the opportunity to talk in a secure environment or offer advice and guidance about how to handle your mental health concerns.
Additionally to that, there are a lot of local organizations that can provide support and guidance to people with mental health problems. Self-help guides, coping techniques and other activities are available. Many of these organizations 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 feel down or stressed. There is also the Nightline student counselling service which offers confidential listening and support from knowledgeable volunteers, or details about other services. Charities like Mind and Rethink are a great source of information. They can offer support in many forms, including online and through local groups. They also provide many classes and activities, ranging 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 have to make difficult choices about which specialist services they should refer their patients to. The doctor will take into consideration the patient's medical background and recommend 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 then assess the referral and decide whether it's appropriate or not. If the specialist isn't happy with the referral, they'll call the GP to discuss their decision and provide the reason. They could also ask the GP to change the referral or request additional information.
The referral to a local Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) may be made via the NHS e-Referral Service (e-RS). The system allows GPs and other health professionals to refer people to either a pre-mental health clinical assessment or directly to an outpatient appointment. However not all CMHTs provide both options, and the system can't be used for every type of mental health referral.
A doctor may decide to refer a person to an expert community mental health service (CMT). They are usually managed by an enormous hospital or a local healthcare organisation. CMTs are a good choice for those who require to consult a psychologist or psychiatrist but don't require inpatient care. They can also offer an early intervention service in which a psychiatrist works with a therapist in order to assist someone in overcoming a crisis or improve the quality of their life.
CMTs face the challenge of ensuring that all referrals are made within a reasonable time. One of the problems is that a lot of referrals are deemed as urgent, despite the fact that they might not be. This can lead people who aren't in crisis to be rushed and suffer delays.
To address this issue, some CMHTs are trying to establish more uniform guidelines for what constitutes an urgent referral. This has been achieved through the use of the standardised referral forma that requires a referrer determine if the case is urgent. The proforma includes a box for the referrer to check in the event that they believe that the referral is urgent.