Mental Health Services on the NHS
There has been an enormous rise in people seeking help 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 investment in mental health services quicker than the NHS budget overall. This includes special suicide prevention services.
Get help
One in four of us will suffer from mental health issues at some time in our lives. The good news is there are a variety of ways to seek help, and most of us will recover with time. But it's important to know what assistance is available and who can provide it.
You can seek help from your doctor, your local health center or mental health team in your community. These teams comprise of nurses, occupational and psychotherapists and speech therapists. They work with the clients who seek their services. You can receive individual or group therapy based on the type of help you need.
Your GP will usually require you to fill out the form so that they can send you a referral to a local mental health team. They will also speak to you about what kind of assistance you require. You will be consulted by an individual from a mental team which includes a psychologist, psychiatrist or social worker. In certain instances the clinical nurse specialist will carry out your assessment and treatment. If you're experiencing an emergency, you can contact the NHS 111 helpline for urgent support. If you already receive mental health support It is recommended to contact your regular team first, unless it is out of office hours, on a weekend, or a bank holiday.
The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health detailed plans to create multidisciplinary team of mental health professionals in the community which are connected to primary care networks. These teams will enhance the quality of mental health care that is provided to those who are in a crisis, and will provide assistance to those in their own homes and communities instead of in hospitals.
The plan also aims to make crisis services more accessible by cutting down waiting times and opening more beds. It would also introduce mental health transport vehicles and make sure that every ambulance has an official who is a mental health liaison in their control rooms to ensure that those suffering from a mental health crisis are supported in emergency situations.
Treatment options
The NHS provides a wide range of treatment options for people suffering from mental health problems. The less severe disorders are typically treated by GPs however more serious conditions require a specialist team. These teams work in primary and community mental healthcare services, as well psychiatric hospital. You can also seek assistance in a safe space if you feel in crisis.
Talking therapies are one of the most popular forms of treatment for depression and anxiety. These programs, formerly known as IAPT (Interactive Assessment and Psychotherapy) have seen their number of referrals increase each year since they launched in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan has committed to expanding these programs to 1.9 million people by 2023/2024.
Psychiatric medicines are another important component of treatment. They can help alleviate symptoms by altering the way that chemicals function in your brain. They can also be used to ease side effects of other treatments. Your doctor will prescribe the right medication for you.
There are many different types of talking therapies, including individual therapy and group therapy. Some of these therapies can be delivered in person, while others can be done remotely. Some patients prefer receiving treatment in person, but that is a personal preference. There are also a number of charities that provide support groups and classes, such as Mind. Their website is full of reliable information, but you should be aware of the fact that there's plenty of false or misleading information on the internet about mental health issues.
The NHS is advancing mental health care but it's struggling to meet demand. There are 54 mental health trusts across the UK and the majority of are funded by clinical commissioning groups to provide their service. They are usually located in a specific region however, they may be commissioned to offer national services.
The shortage of resources is a major problem. There are concerns over the quality of care and the shortage of psychiatrists and nurses. The NHS is trying to improve these services by delivering more training and introducing new methods of working. It also introduces more efficient and safer methods to assist people in need, such as mobile crisis teams and safe spaces.
Helping you
Since the NHS was launched 70 years ago there are positive changes for people suffering from mental health issues. The options for treatment have grown and social barriers have been taken down. But there is still more to be done.
Patients who are experiencing mental health problems require the ability to get the help they need quickly and easily. The NHS is working to improve its services to ensure that those in need can get them. We will ensure that no acute hospital is without a mental health liaison in A&E departments and inpatient wards by 2020/21. We will also ensure that 70 percent of these services will be in line with the "core 24" standard by 2023/24. We will work towards achieving 100% coverage afterward.
We will also extend services for people who need them in the community, which includes therapy for talking, which will give hundreds of thousands of people with common or severe mental health conditions the support they require. We will continue to develop our national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme (IAPT) to ensure that more people with mental health problems are seen faster by trained therapists.
The NHS provides free, confidential helplines to anyone who is struggling with mental health issues. Samaritans Mind and Rethink are some of the helplines available. These helplines are run by trained volunteers. They provide an environment where you can talk in a safe manner or provide information and advice on how to tackle your mental health concerns.
Additionally, there are a number of local organizations that provide support and guidance to people with mental health problems. These can include self-help guides, strategies for coping and activities to try. A lot of these organizations provide support groups in person for those who prefer this option.
The University's Open Door Team offers a drop-in counseling service for students experiencing stress or depression. There is also the Nightline student counselling service which offers confidential listening and support from experienced volunteers, or details on other services. Charities such as Mind and Rethink can provide many sources of information and assistance, both online and in local groups. They also provide various courses and activities, from mindfulness to art classes that could be beneficial for people suffering from mental health problems.
Referrals
Mental health services are under strain and GPs are forced to make difficult choices regarding the best specialist services to refer their patients to. The GP will consider the medical history of the patient and refer them to services they believe will be able to assist. They might send a referral to an NHS trust or an independent service.
A mental health professional will assess the referral to determine if the referral is appropriate or not. If the specialist isn't happy with the referral, they'll contact the GP and explain why. They may also ask the GP to provide more information or to change the referral.
work capability assessment for mental health iampsychiatry.com to a local Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) may be made via the NHS e-Referral Service (e-RS). The system permits GPs and other health professionals to refer people to either a mental health assessment or directly to an appointment with an outpatient. However not all CMHTs offer both options and the system can't be used for every kind of mental health referral.
A GP may decide to refer a person to a specialist community mental health service (CMT). These are usually run by a large local healthcare organisation or a hospital. CMTs are a great option for people who wish to consult with a seasoned psychologist or psychiatrist but don't need inpatient treatment. They can also provide an early intervention service, where a psychiatrist works with a therapist to help a person overcome a crisis or increase their quality of life.
CMTs have the responsibility of ensuring that all referrals are made within a reasonable amount of time. Many referrals are deemed urgent, even though they might not be. This can cause patients who aren't in crisis to be overworked and experience delays.
To address this issue, some CMHTs are trying to establish more uniform guidelines for what is an urgent referral. This was achieved by using a standardised form which asks the referrer if the situation is urgent. The proforma has a box that the referrer can tick when the request is urgent.