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 has made the commitment to increase investment in mental health services faster than the NHS budget in general. This will include specialist suicide prevention work.
Get assistance
One in four of us will suffer from a mental health problem at some point in our lives. The good news is that there are a variety of different options to seek help, and most people recover with time. It's important to understand what help is available and who can offer it.
You can seek help from your doctor, your local health center or a mental health team in your area. These teams consist of occupational and nurse speech therapists, and psychotherapists. They work with the people who use their services. You can get individual or group therapy depending on the type of help you need.
Your doctor will typically request you to fill out an application form so that they can make a referral to a local mental health team. They will also ask you what kind of support you need. You will be consulted by an individual from the mental team, such as psychiatrist, psychologist or social worker. In some instances a clinical nurse specialist will perform your assessment and treatment. You can call the NHS 111 helpline when you're in an emergency. If you already receive mental health support It is recommended to contact your primary team first, unless it's outside of hours, or on a weekend, or a bank holiday.
The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health outlined plans to create more place-based, multidisciplinary community mental health teams, with connections to primary care networks. These teams will enhance the quality of the mental health services that is provided to those who are in a crisis, and offer support to patients within their communities and at home instead of in hospitals.
The plan aims to make crisis services accessible by reducing wait times and allowing more beds. It would also include the mental transport vehicle and ensure that all ambulances are equipped with a mental liaison nurse within the control room to ensure that patients who are suffering from mental illness are assisted in emergency situations.
Treatment options
The NHS offers a variety of treatment options to treat mental health issues. GPs are usually able to treat less severe disorders, but more serious conditions will require the assistance of a specialist team. These teams work across both community and primary mental health services, and also the psychiatric hospitals. There are also safe spaces where you can seek help for those who are in crisis.
Talking therapies are among the most common types of treatment for anxiety and depression. Previously referred to as IAPT These programs have seen referral numbers increase every year since their introduction in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan has set the goal of expanding these services to 1.9 million people by 2023/2024.
Psychiatric drugs are a different part of treatment. They can help alleviate symptoms by altering the way the brain's chemicals work. They can be used to lessen the negative effects of other treatments. Your doctor will prescribe the right medication for you.
A wide variety of talking therapy options are offered, including group therapy and individual therapy. Some of these can be delivered in person, but others are available online. Some patients prefer face-to face treatment, but it is a matter of choice. Mind is one of the organizations that offer support groups and courses. Their website is full of information that is reliable, however you should be aware that there is a lot of false or misleading information on the internet about mental health issues.
The NHS is advancing the quality of mental health care, but it is struggling to meet the demands. In the UK there are 54 mental trusts. The majority of them receive funding for their services from the clinical commissioning groups. They are typically located in a specific region however, they can also be commissioned to provide national services.
The main issue is the insufficient resources to meet the growing demand. There are also concerns about the quality of care and a shortage of psychiatrists and nurses. The NHS is working to improve the quality of care by delivering more training and introducing new ways of working. It also introduces more efficient and safer methods to help people in crisis, such as mobile crisis teams, as well as safe areas.
We are here to help you
Since the NHS was launched 70 years ago there have been numerous positive changes for people with mental health problems. Treatment options have gotten more diverse and social barriers are being broken down. But there is still more to do.
People experiencing a mental health crisis require the ability to access the help they require quickly and easily. The NHS is striving to improve the quality of services so that people in need receive assistance. We will ensure that every acute hospital does not have the mental health liaison service in A&E departments and wards for patients by 2020/21, and that 70 percent of these services will meet 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, which includes talking therapies, to give hundreds of thousands more people suffering from severe or common mental health issues the help they need. We will continue to develop our national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies program (IAPT), so that more people with mental health issues are seen faster by therapists who are qualified.
The NHS provides confidential, free helplines to those suffering from mental health issues. These include the Samaritans and Mind and Rethink. These helplines are run by trained volunteers and provide an environment where you can talk in a safe manner, or offer information and advice on how to manage your mental health concerns.
There are a variety of local organizations that can offer support and guidance to people with mental health issues. These can include self-help guides, coping strategies and activities to try. Many of these organizations offer support groups that meet face-to-face for those who prefer it.
For students, there's the University's Open Door Team which offers a drop-in counselling service for those who feel depressed or stressed. There's also the Nightline student counselling service, which provides confidential listening and support from knowledgeable volunteers, or information on other services. Charities like Mind and Rethink can provide many sources of information and support both online and in local groups. They also provide various courses and activities, from mindfulness to art groups that could be beneficial for those living with mental health problems.
Referrals
Mental health services are under strain and GPs are forced to make difficult decisions about which specialist services to refer their patients to. The doctor will take a patient's medical history into consideration and then recommend them to a service they believe could be able to assist. They might send a referral to an NHS trust or an independent provider.
A mental health specialist will assess the referral to determine if it's appropriate or not. If mental health diagnostic assessment isn't satisfied with the referral, they will call the GP and explain the reasons. They may request the GP to modify the referral or ask for more details.
Requests for a local Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) can be made through the NHS e-Referral Service (e-RS). The system allows doctors and other healthcare professionals send patients to either a preliminary clinical assessment for mental health or directly to an appointment. However not all CMHTs offer both options and the system isn't able to be used for every kind of mental health referral.
A doctor may decide to refer a patient to a specialized community mental health service (CMT). These are usually operated by a large local healthcare organisation or hospital. CMTs are an excellent option for those who require to consult a psychologist or psychiatrist but do not require inpatient treatment. They also provide an early intervention service where psychiatrists collaborate with psychotherapist to assist a person overcome any crisis or improve the quality of their lives.
One of the biggest challenges that CMTs CMT is ensuring that all suitable referrals are made within an appropriate time frame. Many referrals are considered urgent even though they may not be. This can lead people who aren't in crisis to be overworked and experience delays.
To address this issue, a few CMHTs have tried to establish more uniform standards for what constitutes a referral urgent. This has been accomplished by using 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 in the event that they believe the referral is urgent.