Mental Health Services on the NHS
There has been an enormous increase in people seeking treatment for mental health issues and the NHS has responded by offering services. This includes:
The Long Term Plan reaffirmed its commitment to increase investment in mental healthcare services faster than the overall NHS budget. This will include specialized work in suicide prevention.
Need help?
One of four of us will experience a mental health problem at some point in our lives. The good news is that there are a variety of different ways to get help and most of us recover with time. It's important to understand what help is available and who can offer it.
You can seek assistance from a variety of places, including your GP (primary medical doctor for primary care), your local health centre or a community mental health team. These teams consist of occupational and nurse psychotherapists, as well as speech therapists. They work with people who use their services. Depending on the type of help you need you could receive individual or group therapy.
You will be asked to complete a form with your GP so they can refer you to a mental health team in the community. They will also ask you what kind of support you need. You will be assessed by a member of the mental team which includes psychologist, psychiatrist or social worker. In some cases a clinical nurse specialist will conduct your assessment and treatment. If you're experiencing crisis, contact the NHS 111 helpline for urgent assistance. If you're already being assisted by mental health services, it's best to contact your regular team first, unless it's outside of normal hours, on a weekend or on a bank holiday.
The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health outlined plans to create more place-based, multidisciplinary community mental health teams with links to primary care networks. These teams will enhance the quality of the care delivered to people experiencing a crisis, and offer support to patients in their homes and community rather than in hospitals.
The plan also aims to make emergency services available by cutting down wait times and opening up more beds. It would also include an ambulance for mental health and ensure that all ambulances are stocked with a mental liaison nurse in the control room to ensure that people experiencing a mental crisis are supported during emergency situations.
Treatment options
The NHS provides a variety of treatment options for mental health problems. The less severe disorders are typically treated by GPs, while more severe conditions require specialists. These teams work across community and primary mental health services and 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 popular forms of treatment for depression and anxiety. Formerly known as IAPT These programs have seen referrals increase every year since they were introduced in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan has committed to expanding these services to 1.9 million people by 2023/2024.
Psychiatric medications are also a vital component of treatment. They can help alleviate symptoms by altering the way that chemicals function in your brain. They can also help alleviate the side effects of other treatments. Your doctor will suggest the best medication for you.
A variety of talk therapy options are offered including group therapy and individual therapy. Some of these can be delivered in person, but others can be done online. Some patients prefer treatment in person, but this is a personal choice. Mind is one of the charities that offer support groups and classes. The site is full of reliable information however, be aware of the fact that there are numerous false or misleading statements that are posted on the internet regarding mental health issues.
While the NHS is advancing its mental health care however, it is still struggling to cope with demand. In the UK there are 54 mental trusts. The majority of them receive funding from the clinical commissioning groups. They usually are located in a specific area however they can also be commissioned to provide national services.
One of the main issues is the insufficient resources to meet the growing demand. There are also concerns about the quality of care and there is a shortage of nurses and psychiatrists. The NHS is trying to improve the quality of care by delivering more training and introducing new ways of working. It also introduces more secure and efficient methods to treat people in crisis including mobile crisis teams and secure spaces.
We are here to help you
Since the NHS was established 70 years ago, there have been positive changes for those with mental health issues. The options for treatment have grown and social barriers have been smashed down. However, there is much to do.
Patients who are experiencing mental health problems need to be able to access the help they need quickly and easily. The NHS is working to improve services to ensure that those in need receive help. We will ensure that every acute hospital is without a mental health liaison in A&E departments and inpatient wards by 2020/21, and that 70 percent of these services will be in line with the "core 24" standard by 2023/24, working towards a 100% coverage rate after that.
We will also increase services for those who require them in the community, such as talking therapies, to give hundreds of thousands more people suffering from severe or common mental health conditions the assistance they require. We will continue to work on the national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) program to ensure that more people are visited by therapists who are qualified, more quickly.
The NHS offers confidential, free helplines to those suffering from mental health issues. Samaritans Mind and Rethink are some of the helplines that are available. These helplines are run entirely by volunteers who provide a safe place to talk or provide advice and information on how to manage your mental health concerns.
There are a variety of local organisations that can provide support and guidance to people who suffer from mental health issues. They can provide self-help guides, coping strategies, and activities to try. Many of these organizations provide support groups in person to check here those who would prefer it.
The University's Open Door Team offers a drop-in counseling service for students who are struggling or stressed. There's also the Nightline student counselling service that offers confidential listening and support from knowledgeable volunteers, or information about other services. Charities such as Mind and Rethink can provide an abundance of information and mental health assesment support, both online and in local groups. They can provide a variety of courses and activities including mindfulness classes to art classes that can be beneficial for those suffering from mental health issues.
Referrals
Mental health services are under pressure and GPs must make difficult decisions about which specialist services they should refer their patients to. The doctor will take the patient's medical history into account and then refer them to a specialist they believe could be able to assist. They might send a referral to an NHS trust or an independent provider.
A mental health professional will then assess the referral and decide if it's appropriate or not. If the specialist isn't happy with the referral, they will contact the GP and explain why. They may also request the GP for more information or to modify the referral.
Referrals to a local Community Mental Health Team can be made through the NHS e-Referral Service. The system allows GPs and other healthcare professionals to refer patients more info to either a here mental health clinical assessment or directly to an outpatient appointment. However, not all CMHTs provide both options, and the system cannot be used for every kind of mental health referral.
A doctor may also refer patients to a community mental health specialist service (CMT). They are typically run by an enormous hospital or a local health care organization. CMTs are a great option for those who have to consult a psychologist or psychiatrist but don't require inpatient treatment. They also offer an early intervention service, where a psychiatrist will work with a counselor to help someone overcome a crisis or increase their quality of life.
One of the biggest challenges faced by a CMT is ensuring that all referrals are made within an appropriate time frame. One of the challenges is that many referrals are considered urgent, even though they might not be. This can cause patients who aren't in a crisis to be overworked and experience delays.
To address this issue, a few CMHTs have tried to establish more uniform guidelines for what constitutes an urgent referral. This has been accomplished through the use here of the standardised referral forma that requires the referrer to decide if the situation is urgent. The form includes a box for the referrer to check when they believe the referral is urgent.