Mental Health Services on the NHS
There has been a huge 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 invest more in mental health services more quickly than overall NHS budget. This will include specialized work in suicide prevention.
Getting help
One out of four of us will suffer from a mental health problem at some time in our lives. The good news is that there are a variety of ways to seek assistance, and the majority of us will improve with time. It is crucial to know the types of help available and who can offer it.
You can seek help from your GP or your local health center, or a mental health service in your community. These teams are comprised of occupational and nurse psychotherapists and speech therapists. They collaborate with patients who require their services. Based on the kind of help you require you might be provided with individual or group therapy.
You will be asked to fill out a form by your doctor so that they can refer you to a mental health professional in the community. They will also ask you to specify what you require in terms of support. You will then be seen by someone from a mental health team that could include a psychiatrist, social worker or psychologist. In some instances the assessment and treatment will be conducted by a clinical nurse specialist. If you are experiencing an emergency, you can contact the NHS 111 helpline for urgent assistance. If you are already receiving mental health services It is recommended to call your usual team first, unless it's outside of hours, or 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 that are connected to primary care networks. mental health check will improve the quality of the care given to those suffering from a mental health crisis. They will also offer support in their homes and communities, rather than in hospital.
The plan also aimed to provide crisis services to more people by reducing waiting times and allowing more beds. It also proposed to introduce mental health transport vehicles, and ensure that all ambulances have an official who is a mental health liaison in their control rooms to improve the way that those suffering from an illness of mental health are supported in emergency situations.
Treatment options
The NHS provides a wide range of treatment options for people suffering from mental health problems. GPs are usually able to treat less severe conditions, but more severe conditions will require an expert team. These teams are located in both community and primary healthcare facilities as well as psychiatric hospitals. There are also safe spaces where you can seek help for those who are in a crisis.
Talking therapies are among the most common types of treatment for anxiety and depression. Formerly known as IAPT, these programs have seen referrals increase each year since their introduction in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan has committed to expanding these programs to 1.9 million people by 2023/2024.
Psychiatric medications are also an important part of treatment. They can improve symptoms through changing the way chemicals work in your brain. They can also help alleviate the side effects of other treatments. Your doctor will suggest a medicine that is right for you.
There are many different types of talk therapies, such as individual therapy and group therapy. Some of these are delivered in person, but others can be delivered online. Some patients prefer face-to-face treatment, but it's a matter of choice. Recommended Studying is one of many charities that provide support groups and courses. Their website has a lot of trustworthy information, but you must be aware of the fact that there's lots of misleading or false information available 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 group. They are typically located in a particular region, but can be contracted to provide national services.
A key issue 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 working to improve the services by introducing new methods of work and providing more training. It also offers safer and more effective methods of treating people in crisis. These include mobile crisis teams and safe spaces.
Helping you
Since the NHS was launched 70 years ago there have been a lot of positive developments for those suffering from mental health issues. Treatment options have expanded and social barriers are being broken down. However, there is still much to be done.
People who are suffering from mental health issues need to be able to get the assistance they require quickly and easily. That's why the NHS is working hard to improve services for people who need them. By 2020/21, we will make sure that all acute hospitals offer a mental health liaison service that is available in A&E and on wards for inpatients, and that 70% of them will meet the standard of 24 by 2023/24. Then we will strive for 100 percent coverage.
We will also enhance services for the community, such as talking therapy, to offer support for hundreds of thousands of people suffering from mental health problems regardless of whether they are severe or common. We will continue to develop the national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) program to ensure that more people can be treated by trained therapists quicker.
The NHS offers confidential, no-cost assistance to anyone suffering from mental health issues. Samaritans Mind and Rethink are some of the helplines available. These helplines are operated entirely by volunteers who provide a safe place to talk or provide advice and information on how to deal your mental health issues.
There are also a number local organizations that provide help and advice to those with mental health issues. Self-help guides, coping methods and activities can be included. Many of these organisations provide support groups in person for those who prefer it.
For students, there's the University's Open Door Team which offers an opportunity to consult with a counsellor at any time for those who feel depressed or stressed. Nightline is a student counselling service that offers confidential listening as well as information and support from knowledgeable volunteers. Charities like Mind and Rethink can provide a wealth of information and assistance, both on the internet and in local groups. They can also offer various classes and activities, from mindfulness to art classes that could be beneficial for those living with mental health issues.
Making a referral
Mental health services are under pressure and GPs have to make difficult choices regarding which specialist services they should refer their patients to. The GP will look at the medical history of the patient and refer them to services they believe can assist. They may send a referral either to an NHS trust, or to 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 call the GP to discuss their decision and provide why. They might request the GP to modify the referral or request more information.
Referrals to the local Community Mental Health Team can be made using the NHS e-Referral Service. The system allows GPs as well as other health professionals to refer people to either a mental health assessment or directly to an appointment with an outpatient. Not all CMHTs offer both options, and the system is not able to be used for all kinds of mental health referrals.
A GP may also refer patients to a mental health specialist in the community service (CMT). These are usually run by a major local healthcare organisation or hospital. CMTs are a great option for those who have to consult a psychologist or psychiatrist, but do not require inpatient care. They can also provide an early intervention program, where a psychiatrist collaborates with an counselor to help someone overcome a crisis or improve their life quality.
One of the major challenges that a CMT is how to ensure that all appropriate referrals are allocated within the proper time frame. Many referrals are considered urgent, even if they may not be. This can lead people who aren't experiencing a crisis to be overworked and experience delays.
To address this issue some CMHTs are trying to establish more consistent standards for what is an urgent referral. This is being achieved by using a standardised referral proforma that requires the referrer to consider whether the case is urgent. The proforma includes a box for the referrer to check when they believe the referral is urgent.