Mental Health Services on the NHS
The NHS has responded to the rise in mental health issues by providing services. This includes:
The Long Term Plan has made a renewed commitment to grow investment in mental health services more quickly than the NHS budget in general. This will include specialized work in suicide prevention.
Helping yourself
One out of four of us will experience mental health issues at some time in our lives. The good news is that there are plenty of different options to seek help and most of us recover over time. But it's important to know what help is available and who can provide it.
You can get help from your doctor, your local health center, or a mental health team within your area. These teams are comprised of occupational and nurse psychotherapists and speech therapists. They work with clients who seek their services. Based on the kind of assistance you require, you may be offered individual or group therapy.
You will be asked to fill out a form by your GP so they can refer you to a mental health team in the community. They will also speak to you about the kind of assistance you require. You will be consulted by members of the mental team like psychologist, psychiatrist or social worker. In certain instances the assessment and treatment will be performed by a specialist in clinical nursing. If you're experiencing a crisis, you can contact the NHS 111 helpline for immediate assistance. If you're already supported by mental health services, it's a good idea to call your usual team first unless it's out of normal hours, on a weekend or on a bank holiday.
The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health detailed plans to establish multidisciplinary team of mental health professionals in the community that are connected to primary care networks. These teams will increase the quality of the mental health services provided to those in crisis, and will provide assistance to patients in their own homes and communities instead of in hospitals.
The plan also aims at making crisis services more accessible by reducing waiting times and opening more beds. It would also include an ambulance for mental health and ensure that all ambulances are stocked with a mental liaison nurse within the control room to make sure that people experiencing a mental crisis are assisted in emergency situations.
Treatment options
The NHS offers a range of treatment options to treat mental health problems. Less severe disorders are often treated by GPs, while more serious conditions require a specialist team. These teams are spread across community and primary mental health services and also psychiatric hospitals. You can also seek assistance in a secure environment if you feel in crisis.
Talking treatments for anxiety and depression are among the main kinds of treatment. These programs, formerly known as IAPT (Interactive Assessment and Psychotherapy), have seen their numbers of clients increase each year since they were first introduced in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan commits to expanding these programs so that 1.9 million people can access them in 2023/2024.
The use of psychiatric medication is also a crucial element of treatment. They can alleviate symptoms by changing the way the brain's chemicals function. They can also help alleviate the side effects of other treatments. Your doctor will prescribe the best medicine for you.
There are many different types of talking therapies, including group therapy and individual therapy. Some of these are delivered in person, while others can be done online. Some patients prefer receiving treatment in person, but that is a personal preference. There are mental health online assessment uk of charities that offer support groups and courses, such as Mind. Their website has a lot of information that is reliable, however you should be aware of the fact that there's a lot of misleading or false information on the internet about mental health issues.
While the NHS is improving its mental health care, it still struggles to cope with demand. In the UK there are 54 mental trusts. The majority of them receive funding from the clinical commissioning groups. They typically are located in a specific area, but can be commissioned to provide national services.
A key issue is the lack of resources to meet rising demand. There are concerns over the quality of care and the shortage of nurses and psychiatrists. The NHS is working to improve the services by introducing new methods of working and offering more training. It is also introducing more efficient and safer methods to help people in crisis, such as mobile crisis teams and secure areas.
Supporting you
Since the NHS was first introduced 70 years ago there have been positive changes for those suffering from mental health issues. Treatment options have expanded and social barriers are being taken down. But there's still a lot to do.
People experiencing a mental health crisis need to be able to access the help they need quickly and easily. That's why the NHS is working hard to improve services for people who require these services. By 2020/21 we will ensure that all acute hospitals have a mental health liaison service that is available in A&E and on inpatient wards and that 70% of these will meet the core 24 standard by 2023/24. Then we will strive for 100% coverage.
We will also increase services for the community, such as talking therapy, to provide support for hundreds of thousands of individuals suffering from mental health issues regardless of whether they are severe or common. We will continue to work on the national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) program so that more people are treated by trained therapists more quickly.
The NHS provides free, confidential helplines to anyone suffering from a mental health issue. They include the Samaritans, Mind and Rethink. These helplines are run entirely by volunteers who offer a safe place to talk or give advice and information on how to manage your mental health concerns.
Additionally there are a variety of local organizations that offer support and guidance for people with mental health problems. Self-help guides, coping strategies and other activities are all possible. Many of these organizations provide support groups in person for those who prefer it.
The University's Open Door Team offers a drop-in counseling service for students feeling down or stressed. There's also the Nightline student counselling service that provides confidential listening and support from experienced volunteers, as well as information about other services. Charities like Mind and Rethink are a excellent source of information and can offer support in many forms such as online and through local groups. They can provide a variety of classes and activities, from mindfulness to art classes, which are useful for people with mental health issues.
Referrals
Mental health services are under pressure and GPs are forced to make difficult choices about which specialist services to refer their patients to. The doctor will take a patient's medical history into account and then refer them to a service they believe could be able to assist. They may refer a patient to an NHS trust or an independent provider.
A mental health professional will then assess the referral and decide whether it's appropriate or not. If the specialist isn't happy with the referral, they'll call the GP and explain why. They may also ask the GP to provide more information or to alter the referral.
Referrals to the local Community Mental Health Team can be made through the NHS e-Referral Service. The system permits GPs and other healthcare professionals to refer patients to either a mental health clinical assessment or directly to an appointment with an outpatient. However not all CMHTs offer both options and the system cannot be used for every type of mental health referral.
A GP can refer a patient to a mental health specialist in the community service (CMT). They are usually managed by an enormous hospital or a local health care organization. CMTs are a great option for those who want to consult with a seasoned psychologist or psychiatrist but don't require inpatient care. They can also offer an early intervention service where psychiatrists collaborate with therapy therapist to assist a person overcome an issue or improve the quality of their life.
CMTs are faced with the task of making sure that all referrals are made within a reasonable amount of time. Many referrals are deemed urgent, even though they might not be. This can lead to over-working and delays for people who aren't in a crisis.
To address this issue some CMHTs are trying to establish more uniform guidelines for what is an urgent referral. This was achieved by using a standardised form which asks the referrer to indicate if the case is urgent. The proforma has a box that the referrer is able to tick when the referral is urgent.