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 reaffirmed its commitment to increase investment in mental healthcare services faster than overall NHS budget. This will include specialist suicide prevention work.
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 many different options to seek assistance and the majority of us recover after a while. However, it is important to know what help is available and who is able to provide it.
You can seek help from your GP or the local health center, or a mental health team within your community. These teams comprise of nurses, occupational and psychotherapists, as well as speech therapists. They collaborate with clients who seek their services. Based on the kind of help you need you could receive individual or group therapy.
Your GP will usually request you to fill out a form so that they can refer you to a community mental health team. They will also ask you to specify what you require in terms of support. Then, you will be viewed by someone from a mental health team that could include a psychiatrist, psychologist or social worker. In some instances your evaluation and treatment will be conducted by a nurse specialist. If you're in crisis, call the NHS 111 helpline for immediate support. If you already receive mental health support It is recommended to contact your regular team first, unless out of office hours, on a weekend or a bank holiday.
The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health outlined plans to create more multidisciplinary, place-based community mental health teams that have links to primary care networks. These will help to improve the quality of care delivered to people who are experiencing a mental health crisis. They will also offer assistance within their communities and homes rather than in hospitals.
The plan aims to make crisis services accessible by cutting down wait times and opening up more beds. It would also introduce an ambulance for mental health and ensure that all ambulances are stocked with a mental liaison nurse within the control room to ensure that patients who are suffering from mental illness are assisted in emergency situations.
mental health assessments offers a wide array of treatment options for people suffering from mental health problems. GPs typically have the ability to treat milder conditions, but more severe issues will require the assistance of a specialist team. These teams are located in primary and community mental healthcare services, as well psychiatric hospital. There are also safe spaces where you can seek assistance if you are feeling in a state of crisis.
Talking therapies are among the most common types of treatment for anxiety and depression. These programs, previously known as IAPT (Interactive Assessment and Psychotherapy), have seen their number of referrals increase every year since they were first introduced in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan has set the goal of expanding these services to 1.9 million people by 2023/2024.
Psychiatric medications are another crucial part of treatment. They can alleviate symptoms by altering how chemicals in your brain work. They can also help alleviate the side effects of other treatments. Your doctor will suggest the best medication for you.
A wide variety of talking therapy treatments are available which include group therapy as well as individual therapy. Some of these treatments are delivered in person, while others are available remotely. Some patients prefer face to face treatment, but it is the choice of the patient. Mind is one of the organizations that offer support groups and classes. The website contains a wealth of information that is trustworthy but you should be aware that there are many false or misleading claims on the internet concerning mental health issues.
The NHS is working to improve the mental health system, but it struggles to meet demand. There are 54 mental health trusts across the UK, and most of them receive funding from clinical commissioning groups to provide their service. They typically are located in a specific region, but can be commissioned to deliver national services.
The shortage of resources is a major problem. There are concerns over the quality and availability of psychiatrists and nurses. The NHS is trying to improve the quality of care by introducing new ways of working and offering more training. It also provides more secure and efficient methods to treat people who are in crisis. This includes mobile crisis teams, as well as safe spaces.
Supporting you
Since the NHS launched 70 years ago there have been numerous positive developments for those suffering from mental health issues. Treatment options have expanded and social barriers are breaking down. However, there is much to be done.
People who are suffering from mental health issues should receive the help they require quickly and easily. The NHS is striving to improve the quality of services so that people in need can get them. We will ensure that no acute hospital is without a mental health liaison service in A&E departments and wards for patients 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, working towards 100% coverage thereafter.
We will also expand community services, including talk therapy, in order to provide assistance to hundreds of thousands of people suffering from mental health conditions, whether they are serious or common. We will continue to develop the national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme so that more people are visited by therapists who are qualified, faster.
The NHS offers confidential, no-cost assistance to anyone suffering from mental health issues. Samaritans Mind and Rethink are some of the helplines that are available. These helplines are operated entirely by volunteers who provide an environment where you can talk to someone in a safe manner or offer advice and guidance on how to deal your mental health issues.
In addition to that, there are a lot of local organizations that can provide assistance and support for those with mental health issues. These include self-help guides, coping strategies 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 struggling or stressed. There is also the Nightline student counselling service, which provides confidential listening and support from knowledgeable volunteers, as well as information on other services. Charities such as Mind and Rethink are a excellent source of information and can provide support in a variety of ways such as online and through local groups. They offer a variety of courses and activities from mindfulness to art classes that are useful for people with mental health issues.
Making a referral
With mental health services under pressure, GPs have to make difficult choices about the services they will refer patients to. The GP will consider the patient's medical background and refer them to services they believe will be able to help. They can refer a patient to an NHS trust, or to 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 call the GP and explain the reasons. They may also ask the GP for more details or to modify the referral.
Referrals to the local Community Mental Health Team can be made using the NHS e-Referral Service. The system permits GPs and other healthcare professionals to refer patients to either a pre-mental health clinical assessment or directly to an outpatient appointment. Not all CMHTs offer both options, and the system can't be used for all kinds of mental health referrals.
A GP can also refer a patient to a mental health specialist in the community service (CMT). These are usually run either by a large hospital or local healthcare organization. CMTs are a great alternative for those looking to consult with a seasoned psychologist or psychiatrist, but do not require inpatient treatment. They can also offer an early intervention service where psychiatrists collaborate with therapist in order to assist someone in overcoming an issue or improve the quality of their lives.
CMTs are faced with the task of ensuring that all referrals are made within a reasonable amount of time. 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 rushed and suffer delays.
To tackle reference , certain CMHTs are working to establish more uniform standards for what is considered an urgent referral. This is being achieved by using the standardised referral forma that requires a referrer to determine if the case is urgent. The form has a checkbox for the referrer to tick when they believe the referral is urgent.