Mental Health Services on the NHS
The NHS has responded to the rise in mental health issues by offering services. This includes:
The Long Term Plan has made a renewed commitment to grow investment in mental health services more quickly than the NHS budget overall. This will include specialized work in suicide prevention.
Getting help
One out of four people will be affected by mental illness at one time in their lives. The good news is there are many ways to get help, and many of us will be able to recover with time. It is important to know what help is available and who can offer it.
You can seek assistance from your physician, your local health center, or a mental health team within your community. These teams comprise of occupational and nurse psychotherapists and speech therapists. They work with patients who require their services. You can get individual or group therapy, based on the type of help you need.
Your GP will usually require you to fill out a form so that they can send you a referral to a local mental health team. They will also talk with you about the type of help you need. You will then be examined by a member of the mental health team that could include a psychiatrist, psychologist or social worker. In some cases your evaluation and treatment will be carried out by a nurse specialist. You can call the NHS 111 helpline when you're in a crisis. If you are already receiving mental health support it is recommended to contact your primary team first, unless out of hours, on a weekend, or a bank holiday.
The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health detailed plans to create multidisciplinary mental health teams in the community that are connected to primary care networks. These will help to improve the quality of care provided to those suffering from a mental health crisis and provide support in their homes and communities rather than in hospitals.
The plan also aimed at make crisis services more accessible by reducing waiting times and opening more beds. It also proposes an ambulance for mental health and ensure that all ambulances are stocked with an individual who is a mental liaison nurse in the control room to make sure that patients who are suffering from mental illness are supported during emergency situations.
Treatment options
The NHS offers a variety of treatment options for people suffering from mental health problems. Disorders that are less severe are usually treated by GPs and more serious disorders require specialists. These teams are spread across primary and community mental health services and psychiatric hospitals. You can also seek assistance in a secure environment should you be in a state of crisis.
Talking therapies are one of the most commonly used forms of treatment for depression and anxiety. 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 has set the goal of expanding these services to 1.9 million people by 2023/2024.
Psychiatric medicines are also a crucial component of treatment. They can help alleviate symptoms by altering the way that chemicals function in your brain. They can also help lessen the negative effects of other treatments. Your doctor will suggest a medicine that is right for you.
There are many kinds of talk therapy, including individual therapy and group therapy. Some of these treatments are offered in person, while other can be done via remote access. Some patients prefer face-to face treatment, but it is a matter of choice. There are also a lot of charities that offer classes and support groups, such as Mind. The site contains a wealth of reliable information, but be aware that there are numerous false or misleading statements on the internet about mental health issues.
The NHS is improving the quality of mental health care, but it struggles to meet the demands. In the UK, there are 54 mental trusts. Most of them receive funding from the clinical commissioning groups. They usually are located in a particular region however, they may be commissioned to offer national services.
A key issue is the lack of resources to meet rising demand. There are concerns about the quality of care and the shortage of psychiatrists and nurses. The NHS is trying to improve these services by delivering more training and developing new ways of working. It also introduces more secure and efficient methods to assist people in need, such as mobile crisis teams and safe spaces.
Helping you
Since the NHS launched 70 years ago there have been a lot of positive changes for people with mental health problems. Treatment options have gotten more diverse and social barriers are breaking down. However, there is much 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 in need 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 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 extend services for people who need them in the community, including talking therapies, to give thousands of more patients with severe or common mental health issues the help they need. We will continue to develop the national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme so that more people can be treated by trained therapists more quickly.
The NHS offers confidential, free assistance to anyone suffering from mental health issues. Samaritans Mind and Rethink are some of the helplines available. These helplines are operated by trained volunteers. They provide the opportunity to talk with someone in a secure environment or give information and advice on how to deal with your mental health concerns.
Additionally, there are a number of local organisations which can 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 offer face-toface support groups to those who would prefer it.
For students, there is the University's Open Door Team which offers an opportunity to consult with a counsellor at any time for those who are feeling low or stressed. Nightline is a student counselling service that provides confidential listening assistance, information and support from experienced volunteers. Charities such as Mind and Rethink are a excellent source of information and provide support in a variety of ways that include online and through local groups. mental health test uk can offer a range of classes and activities, from mindfulness to art classes, which are beneficial for those with mental health issues.
Referrals
Mental health services are under strain and GPs must make difficult choices regarding the best specialist services to refer their patients to. The GP will consider the patient's medical background and refer them to services they believe will be able to aid. They might send a referral to an NHS trust or an independent provider.
A mental health specialist will examine the referral to determine if it is appropriate or not. If the specialist isn't satisfied with the referral, they will contact the GP and explain why. They can also request the GP to provide more information or to alter the referral.
Requests for a local Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) can be made through the NHS e-Referral Service (e-RS). The system allows GPs and other healthcare professionals to refer patients to either a mental health clinical assessment or directly to an appointment with an outpatient. Not all CMHTs offer both options, and the system can't be used for all types of mental health referrals.
A GP might also decide to refer a person to a specialist community mental health service (CMT). They are usually managed by an extensive hospital or a local healthcare organization. CMTs are a good choice for those who need to see a psychiatrist or psychologist, but do not require inpatient care. They also offer an early intervention service where a psychiatrist works with an counselor to help someone overcome a crisis or improve their life quality.
CMTs face the challenge of making sure that all referrals are received within a reasonable time. Many referrals are deemed urgent even though they may not be. This can lead to over-working and delays for people who aren't in a crisis.
To address this issue certain CMHTs are working to establish more consistent standards for what constitutes an urgent referral. This has been achieved through the use of the standardised referral forma that requires a referrer consider whether the case is urgent. The form has a checkbox that the referrer can tick to indicate if the referral is urgent.