Mental Health Services on the NHS
There has been a massive increase in people seeking help for mental health issues, and the NHS has responded by providing services. This includes:
The Long Term Plan reaffirmed its commitment to invest more in mental health services more quickly than the overall NHS budget. This will include the work of a specialist in suicide prevention.
Getting help
One of four of us will experience mental health issues at some point in our lives. The good news is that there are many different ways to seek help, and most people recover over time. It is important to know what help is available and who can offer it.
You can seek help from a variety of places, including your doctor (primary medical doctor for primary care), your local health centre, or a community mental health team. These teams are comprised of nurses, occupational and psychotherapists and speech therapists. They work with people who use their services. You can receive individual or group therapy based on the type of assistance you require.
Your GP will usually request you to fill out the form so that they can send you a referral to a local mental health team. They will also ask you what type of assistance you require. Then, you will be viewed by a member of a mental health team, which may comprise a psychiatrist psychologist or social worker. In certain instances the assessment and treatment will be carried out by a clinical nurse specialist. You can call the NHS 111 helpline if you are in crisis. If you are already receiving support for your mental health, it is best to contact your regular team first, unless out of hours, on a weekend or a bank holiday.
The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health outlined plans to create more multidisciplinary, community-based, place-based mental health teams, with connections to primary care networks. These teams will improve the quality of the care provided to those in crisis, and provide support to them within their communities and at home instead of in hospitals.
The plan also aimed to provide crisis services to more people by reducing wait times and allowing 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 improve the way that those suffering from a mental health crisis are helped in times of crisis.
Treatment options
The NHS offers a variety of treatment options to treat mental health conditions. The less severe disorders are typically treated by GPs and more serious disorders require a specialist team. These teams are spread across both community and primary mental health services, as well as mental health hospitals. You can also seek help in a safe space should you be in a state of crisis.
Talking therapies are among the most common types of treatment for anxiety and depression. Previously referred to 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 will be able to use them by 2023/2024.
Psychiatric medicines are also a crucial part of treatment. They can help alleviate symptoms by altering how the brain's chemicals work. They can also help ease side effects of other treatments. Your doctor will prescribe the best medicine for you.
A variety of talk therapy treatments are available which include group therapy as well as individual therapy. Some of them are offered in person, while others are available remotely. Some patients prefer receiving treatment in person, but that is a personal decision. Mind is one of the charities that provide support groups and courses. Their website is full of trustworthy information, but you must be aware that there's lots of false or misleading information on the internet about mental health issues.
While the NHS is working to improve its mental health services but it's still struggling to meet the demands. In the UK there are 54 mental trusts. The majority of them receive funding for their services from the clinical commissioning more info groups. They are usually located in a specific region, but can be contracted to provide national services.
The lack of resources is a major issue. There are concerns about the quality and shortage of nurses and psychiatrists. The NHS is trying to improve the quality of care by introducing new ways of work and providing more training. It also introduces safer and more effective ways to help people who are in crisis. This includes mobile crisis teams, as well as safe space.
Supporting you
Since the NHS was launched 70 years ago, there have been positive changes for those suffering from mental health issues. Treatment options have increased and social barriers are breaking down. But there is more to be done.
People experiencing a mental health crisis require the ability to get the assistance they require quickly and easily. This is why the NHS is putting in the effort to improve the quality of services for those who require them. We will ensure that every acute hospital does not have here a mental health liaison service in A&E departments and inpatient wards by 2020/21. We will also ensure that 70% of these services will be in line with the 'core 24' standard by 2023/24. Then we will work towards achieving 100% coverage afterward.
We will also expand community services, including talk therapy, in order to provide assistance to hundreds of thousands of people with mental health issues, whether they are common or severe. We will continue to develop the national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme so that more people can be treated by trained therapists quicker.
The NHS offers confidential, no-cost assistance to anyone suffering from mental health issues. These include the Samaritans, Mind and Rethink. These helplines are run by trained volunteers and provide a safe space to talk or provide information and advice on how to manage your mental health issues.
There are also local organisations that can provide support and guidance to people with mental health issues. These include self-help guides, coping strategies and activities to try. Many of these organizations offer face-toface support groups for those who prefer it.
The University's Open Door Team offers a drop-in counseling service for students who are feeling down or stressed. Nightline is a student counselling service that offers private listening, support and information from knowledgeable volunteers. Charities like Mind and Rethink are a excellent source of information and can provide support in a variety of ways that include online and through local groups. They also provide a variety of classes and activities, ranging from mindfulness to art groups that could be beneficial for those living with mental health issues.
Making a referral
With mental health services under pressure, GPs are having to make difficult decisions regarding the services they will refer patients to. The doctor will take a patient's medical history into account and then refer them to a specialist they believe will be able to help. They can refer a patient 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 happy with the referral, they'll call the GP to discuss their decision and explain the reasons. They may also ask the GP for more information or to modify the referral.
The ability to refer patients to the local Community Mental Health Team can be made using the NHS e-Referral Service. The read more system allows GPs as well as other healthcare professionals to refer patients to either a mental health assessment or directly to an outpatient appointment. Not all CMHTs offer both options, and the system cannot be used for all types of mental health referrals.
A GP may also refer patients to a mental health specialist in the community service (CMT). They are typically operated by a large local health organization or hospital. CMTs can be a good option for people who wish to consult a qualified psychiatrist or psychologist but don't need inpatient treatment. They can also provide an early intervention program, read more where a psychiatrist will work with the psychotherapist to help a patient overcome a crisis or improve their quality of life.
One of the biggest challenges faced by a CMT is ensuring that all referrals are made within the appropriate timeframe. Many mental health assesment referrals are deemed urgent, even if they may not be. This can lead people who aren't in crisis to be rushed and suffer delays.
To tackle this issue, some CMHTs are trying to establish more uniform guidelines for what constitutes an urgent referral. This is being achieved by using the standardised referral forma 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.