Mental Health Services on the NHS
The NHS has responded to the rising number of mental health issues by providing services. This includes:
The Long Term Plan has made a renewed commitment to grow the investment in mental health services faster than the NHS budget overall. This includes specialist work in suicide prevention.
Get assistance
One of four people will suffer from a mental illness at some time in their lives. The good news is that there are many ways to get help, and many of us will be able to recover with time. It is important to know the types of help available and who can offer it.
You can seek assistance from a variety of places, including your GP (primary medical doctor who treats patients), your local health center or a community mental health team. These teams are comprised of nurses, occupational therapists, psychotherapists and speech and language therapists who work together with the people who utilize the service. Based on the type of help you require, you may be offered individual or group therapy.
You will be asked to fill out a form from your GP so that they can refer you to a mental health team in the community. They will also talk to you about the type of help you require. You will be assessed by a member of an interdisciplinary team of mental health professionals like psychiatrist, psychologist or social worker. In certain instances the clinical nurse specialist will conduct your assessment and treatment. You can contact the NHS 111 helpline when you're in an emergency. If you're already being supported by mental health services it's best to try and contact your usual team first, unless it's outside of core hours, the weekend or on a bank holiday.
The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health detailed plans to establish multidisciplinary, community-based mental health teams that are linked to primary care networks. These will help to improve the quality of care that is delivered to people who are suffering from an illness of mental health and offer assistance within their communities and homes rather than in hospitals.
The plan also aimed at make crisis services more accessible by reducing 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 improve the way that those suffering from an illness of mental health are assisted in emergencies.
Treatment options
The NHS offers a range of treatment options for mental health issues. The less severe disorders are typically treated by GPs and more serious conditions require specialists. These teams are located in community and primary mental healthcare services as well as psychiatric hospitals. There are also safe places where you can seek assistance if you are feeling in crisis.
Talking therapies are among the most popular forms of treatment for depression and anxiety. Previously known as IAPT the programs have seen referral numbers increase each year since their introduction in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan commits to expanding these services so that 1.9 million people can access them in 2023/2024.
The use of psychiatric medication is also a vital component of treatment. They can help alleviate symptoms by altering the way that chemicals function in your brain. They can be used to lessen the negative effects of other treatments. how can i get a mental health assessment will prescribe the best medicine for you.
There are many different types of talking therapies, including group therapy and individual therapy. Some of them are offered in person, while others can be done via a remote device. Some patients prefer to receive treatment in person, but that is a personal decision. Mind is one of the charities that offer support groups and classes. Their website has a lot of information that is reliable, however you should be aware of the fact that there's plenty of false or misleading information available on the internet regarding mental health issues.
The NHS is advancing the quality of mental health care, but it is struggling to meet the demand. There are 54 mental health trusts in the UK, and most of them receive funding from clinical commissioning organizations to deliver their service. They typically are located in a specific region however, they can also be contracted to provide national services.
The absence of resources is a major problem. There are concerns over the quality of care and the shortage of psychiatrists and nurses. The NHS is working to improve the quality of care by delivering more training and introducing new methods of working. It also provides more efficient and safer methods to treat those who are in crisis. This includes mobile crisis teams, as well as safe spaces.
Helping you
Since the NHS was launched 70 years ago, there have been positive developments for people suffering from mental health issues. The treatment options have increased and social barriers have been taken down. But there is more to be done.
People experiencing mental health problems must be able to access the help they require quickly and easily. This is why the NHS is striving to improve the services available to those who need them. We will ensure that every acute hospital is without a mental health liaison service in A&E departments and wards for inpatients by 2020/21. 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 expand services for people who need them in the community, including psychotherapy, in order to provide thousands of more people suffering from severe or common mental health conditions the assistance they need. We will continue to develop our national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme (IAPT) to ensure that more people suffering from mental health problems can be seen more quickly by qualified therapists.
The NHS offers confidential, free assistance to anyone suffering from mental health issues. Samaritans Mind and Rethink are some of the helplines available. These helplines are operated by trained volunteers. They offer a safe space to talk or give information and advice on how to manage your mental health concerns.
In addition there are a variety of local organisations which can offer support and guidance for those suffering from mental health issues. Self-help guides, coping strategies and activities can be included. A lot of these organizations offer support groups that meet face-to-face for those who prefer this option.
For students, there's the University's Open Door Team which offers a drop-in counselling service for those who feel down or stressed. There is also the Nightline student counselling service that provides confidential listening and support from skilled volunteers, as well as information on other services. Charities like Mind and Rethink can provide an abundance of information and assistance, both on the internet and in local groups. They offer a variety of activities and courses ranging from mindfulness to art classes, which are beneficial for those with mental health issues.
Referring someone to you
With mental health services under pressure, GPs have to make difficult choices about which specialist services they can refer patients to. The GP will take a patient's medical history into consideration and then refer them to a service they believe will be able to help. They can send a referral either to an NHS trust or an independent provider.
A mental health professional will then evaluate the referral and decide if it's appropriate or not. If the specialist doesn't like the referral, they will call the GP and explain the reasons. They may also ask the GP to provide more information or to modify the referral.
Requests for a local Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) may be made via the NHS e-Referral Service (e-RS). The system lets doctors and other healthcare professionals send patients to either a preliminary clinical assessment service 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 type of mental health referral.
A doctor may also refer a patient to a community mental health specialist 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 also provide an early intervention service in which psychiatrists collaborate with therapist in order to help someone overcome any crisis or improve the quality of their life.
One of the major challenges faced by a CMT is to ensure that all referrals are made within an appropriate time frame. Many referrals are deemed urgent, even though they might not be. This can cause people who aren't in crisis to be overwhelmed and suffer delays.
To tackle this issue, a few CMHTs have tried to establish more uniform guidelines for what constitutes an urgent referral. This was achieved by using a standardised form that asks the referrer to indicate if the case is urgent. The proforma has a box that the referrer has to check if the referral is urgent.