Mental Health Services on the NHS
There has been an enormous increase in people seeking help 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 the overall NHS budget. This will include special suicide prevention services.
Need help?
One out of four of us will have a mental health problem at some point in our lives. The good news is that there are plenty of different ways to seek assistance and the majority of us recover after a while. It is essential to know what help is available and who can provide it.
You can seek assistance from a variety of places, including your doctor (primary care medical doctor), your local health centre or a community mental health team. These teams comprise of occupational and nurse psychotherapists and speech therapists. They collaborate with people who use their services. Based on the kind of help you require, you may be offered individual or group therapy.
Your doctor will typically require you to fill out the form to refer you to a local mental health team. They will also speak to you about the type of help you need. You will be assessed by a member of an interdisciplinary team of mental health professionals like psychiatrist, psychologist or social worker. In certain instances a clinical nurse specialist will perform your assessment and treatment. If you are experiencing a crisis, you can contact the NHS 111 helpline for immediate support. 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 detailed plans to create multidisciplinary team of mental health professionals in the community that are linked to primary care networks. These teams will enhance the quality of mental health care provided to those in crisis, and provide support to them 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 also proposes the introduction of mental health transport vehicles, and ensure that all ambulances have an official who is a mental health liaison in their control rooms to ensure that those suffering from mental health issues are helped in times of crisis.
Treatment options
The NHS offers a variety of treatment options for mental health issues. Less severe disorders are often treated by GPs and more serious conditions require a specialist team. These teams are located in both community and primary health services for mental health as well as psychiatric hospitals. There are also safe places where you can seek help when you're in crisis.
Talking treatments for anxiety and depression are one of the main types of treatment. These programs, previously known as IAPT (Interactive Assessment and Psychotherapy) have seen their numbers of clients 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 chemicals work in your brain. They can also help reduce the effects of other treatments. Your doctor will recommend the right medication for you.
A wide range of talking therapy options are available which include group therapy as well as individual therapy. Some of them are offered in person, whereas others can be done via a remote device. Some patients prefer treatment in person, but that is a personal choice. Mind is one of many organizations that offer support groups and classes. The site contains a wealth of information that is reliable however, be aware that there are a lot of false or misleading statements that are posted on the internet concerning mental more info health issues.
The NHS is improving the mental health system, but it struggles to meet the demands. There are 54 mental health trusts across the UK and the majority of them receive funding from clinical commissioning groups to deliver their service. They are usually located in a specific region however, they are also able to be commissioned to provide national services.
The shortage of resources is a major issue. There are concerns over the quality of care and the shortage of nurses and psychiatrists. The NHS is trying to improve the quality of care by delivering more training and developing new ways of working. It also provides more secure and efficient methods to treat people in crisis. These include mobile crisis teams, as well as safe spaces.
We are here to help you
Since the NHS was launched 70 years ago there have been numerous positive developments for people suffering from mental health problems. The options for treatment have grown and social barriers have been broken down. However, there is much to do.
People experiencing a mental health crisis need to be able to access the assistance they require quickly and easily. The NHS is working to improve services so that people in need are able to access them. We will ensure that every acute hospital is without a mental health liaison in A&E departments and wards for inpatients 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 a 100% coverage rate after that.
We will also increase community services, including talk therapy, to offer support for hundreds of thousands of people with mental health problems, whether they are common or severe. We will continue to work on the national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme so that more people are treated by trained therapists more quickly.
The NHS offers free, confidential helplines to anyone struggling with a mental health issue. Samaritans check here Mind and Rethink are some of the helplines available. These helplines are operated by trained volunteers. They provide the opportunity to talk with someone in a secure environment, or offer advice and information on how to tackle your mental health issues.
There are a variety of local organizations that provide help and advice to those suffering from mental health issues. Self-help guides, coping techniques and other activities are available. Many of these organisations provide support groups in person for those who prefer it.
The University's Open Door Team offers a drop-in counseling service for students who are struggling or stressed. There's also the Nightline student counselling service, which provides confidential listening and support from experienced volunteers, as well as information on other services. Charities like Mind and Rethink are a great source of information and can provide support in a variety of ways such as online and through local groups. They can offer a range of courses and activities from mindfulness to art classes that are useful for people with mental health issues.
Referrals
With mental health services under pressure, GPs are having to make difficult decisions regarding which specialist services they can refer patients to. The GP will take a patient's medical history into account and then refer them to a specialist they think could be able to assist. They may refer a patient to an NHS trust or an independent mental health assessment private provider.
A mental health professional will examine the referral to determine if it's appropriate or not. If the specialist isn't pleased with the referral, they'll contact the GP to discuss their decision and explain why. They might also ask the GP to alter 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 an initial clinical assessment for mental get more info health or website directly to an appointment. Not all CMHTs offer both options, and the system can't be used for all kinds of mental health referrals.
A GP might also decide to refer a person to a specialized community mental health service (CMT). They are typically run by a major local healthcare organisation or hospital. CMTs are a great alternative for those looking to see an experienced psychologist or psychiatrist but don't need inpatient treatment. They can also provide an early intervention service, where a psychiatrist works with the psychotherapist to help a patient overcome a crisis or improve their quality of life.
CMTs have the responsibility of making sure that all referrals are received within a reasonable amount of time. Many referrals are deemed urgent, even if they may not be. This can lead to delays and over-working for those who aren't in need.
To address this issue, certain CMHTs are working to establish more uniform standards for what constitutes an urgent referral. This was achieved through a standardised form which asks the referrer to indicate if the case is urgent. The proforma has a box that the referrer can tick if the referral is urgent.