Mental Health Services on the NHS
The NHS has responded to the increase in mental health problems by offering services. This includes:
The Long Term Plan reaffirmed its commitment to increase investment in mental healthcare services faster than overall NHS budget. This includes specialist suicide prevention work.
Getting help
One out of four of us will have a mental health problem at some point in our lives. The good news is that there are a variety of ways to seek assistance, and the majority of us will be able to recover with time. However, it is important to know what assistance is available, and who is able to provide it.
You can seek assistance from your GP or your local health center or a mental health team within your community. These teams are comprised of occupational therapists, nurses, psychotherapists and speech and language therapists who work with those who utilize the service. Based on the type of help you need, you may be offered individual or group therapy.
Your GP will usually require you to fill out the form so that they can make a referral to a community mental health team. They will also talk to you about the kind of help you need. You will be consulted by members of an interdisciplinary team of mental health professionals like psychologist, psychiatrist or social worker. In some instances a clinical nurse specialist will perform your assessment and treatment. You can call the NHS 111 helpline for assistance if you're in a crisis. If you're already 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 included plans to establish more multidisciplinary, community-based, place-based mental health teams that have links to primary care networks. These teams will improve the quality of the care delivered to people experiencing a crisis, and will provide assistance to patients in their own homes and communities instead of in hospitals.
The plan also aims at making crisis services more accessible by decreasing wait times and allowing more beds. It also proposed to introduce mental health transport vehicles and ensure that every ambulance has a mental health liaison nurse in their control rooms to ensure people suffering from an illness of mental health are assisted in emergencies.
Treatment options
The NHS provides a variety of treatment options for mental health problems. Less severe disorders are often treated by GPs, while more serious disorders require specialists. These teams are located in primary and community mental healthcare services, as well psychiatric hospital. There are also safe places where you can seek help for those who are in a state of crisis.
Talking treatments for anxiety and depression are among the main kinds of treatment. Previously known as IAPT the programs have seen referrals increase each year since their launch in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan commits to expanding these programs so that 1.9 million people can access them in 2023/2024.
Psychiatric medications are another crucial aspect of treatment. They can help alleviate symptoms by changing the way the brain's chemicals work. They can also be used to lessen the negative effects of other treatments. Your doctor will prescribe the right medicine for you.
There are many kinds of talk therapy, including individual therapy and group therapy. Some of them are offered in person, while others are available via a remote device. Some patients prefer receiving treatment in person, but this is a personal choice. There are also a lot of charities which offer classes and support groups like Mind. Their website is full of trustworthy information, but you should be aware that there's plenty of misleading or false information available on the internet regarding mental health issues.
The NHS is working to improve the mental health system, but it's struggling to meet demand. In the UK, there are 54 mental trusts. They receive the majority of funding for their services from the clinical commissioning group. They typically are located in a specific region, but can be commissioned to provide national services.
The main issue is the lack of resources to meet rising demand. There are concerns about the quality of care and the 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 provides more secure and efficient methods of treating those who are in crisis. These include mobile crisis teams, as well as safe space.
Helping you
Since the NHS was established 70 years ago, there have been positive developments for people suffering from mental health issues. Treatment options have increased and social barriers are being taken down. However, there is much to do.
Patients who are experiencing a mental health crisis need to be able to access the assistance they require quickly and easily. The NHS is working to improve services so that people in need can get assistance. In 2020/21, we will ensure that all acute hospitals offer a mental health liaison service both in A&E and on wards for inpatients and that 70% of them will meet the core 24 standard by 2023/24. Then we will strive to achieve 100 percent coverage.
We will also expand services for those who require them in the community, such as psychotherapy, in order to provide hundreds of thousands more people with common or severe mental health conditions the assistance they require. We will continue to work on our national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme (IAPT) to ensure that more people with mental health issues are seen faster by qualified therapists.
The NHS offers free, confidential helplines for anyone who is struggling with a mental health issue. Samaritans Mind and Rethink are some of the helplines available. These helplines are run entirely by volunteers who offer an environment where you can talk to someone in a safe manner or provide advice and information on how to manage your mental health concerns.
In addition there are a variety of local organizations that offer support and guidance for people with mental health problems. They can provide self-help guides, strategies for coping and activities to try. Many of these organizations offer support groups that meet face-to-face 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 provides confidential listening as well as information and support from experienced volunteers. Charities like Mind and Rethink can provide an abundance of information and assistance, both online and in local groups. They can provide a variety of activities and courses ranging from mindfulness to art classes, which are useful for people with mental health issues.
Making a referral
With mental health services under pressure, doctors are forced to make difficult decisions regarding which specialist services they can refer patients to. agree with this will look at the patient's medical background and refer them to services they believe will be able assist. They might send a referral to an NHS trust or an independent service.
A mental health professional will examine the referral to determine if it's appropriate or not. If the specialist isn't satisfied with the referral, they will contact the GP and explain the reasons. They may also ask the GP for more details or to modify 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 health professionals to refer people to either a mental health clinical assessment or directly to an appointment with an outpatient. Not all CMHTs offer both options, and the system cannot be used for all types of mental health referrals.
A GP may refer a patient to a mental health specialist in the community service (CMT). They are usually managed by a large hospital or local healthcare organisation. CMTs are a great option for those who want to consult a qualified psychiatrist or psychologist but don't need inpatient treatment. They can also provide an early intervention service where a psychiatrist works with a psychotherapist to help a patient overcome a problem or improve their life quality.
CMTs have the responsibility of ensuring that all referrals are received within a reasonable time frame. Many referrals are considered urgent, even though they might not be. This can result in delays and over-working for those who aren't in need.
To tackle this issue, some CMHTs are trying to establish more uniform guidelines for what constitutes an urgent referral. This has been achieved by using the standardised referral forma that requires a referrer consider whether the case is urgent. The form includes a box that the referrer can tick when the request is urgent.