Mental Health Services on the NHS
There has been a massive increase in people seeking help for mental health issues and the NHS has responded by offering services. This includes:
The Long Term Plan has made the commitment to increase the amount of money spent on mental health services quicker than the NHS budget overall. This includes the work of a specialist in suicide prevention.
Get help
One in 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 options to seek help and most of us recover over time. It's important to understand what assistance is available and who can offer it.
You can seek assistance from your doctor, your local health center, or a mental health service in your local area. These teams are comprised of occupational and nurse speech therapists, and psychotherapists. They work with patients who require their services. You can get individual or group therapy based on the type of assistance you require.
Your doctor will typically ask you to fill in the form so that they can refer you to a community mental health team. They will also talk with you about the kind of help you need. You will be seen by an individual from a mental team, such as a psychologist, psychiatrist or social worker. In some cases a clinical nurse specialist will perform your assessment and treatment. You can call the NHS 111 helpline for assistance if you're in an emergency. If you are already receiving mental health support, it is best 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 outlined plans to create more multidisciplinary, place-based community mental health teams, with connections to primary care networks. These teams will increase the quality of the care delivered to people experiencing a crisis, and provide support to them in their homes and community instead of in hospitals.
The plan aims to make crisis services more accessible by cutting down waiting times and opening more beds. It would also include a mental transport vehicle and ensure that all ambulances are outfitted with an individual who is a mental liaison nurse in the control room to ensure that patients who are suffering from mental illness are assisted in emergency situations.
Treatment options
The NHS offers a wide array of treatment options for mental health conditions. GPs are usually able to treat minor conditions, but more severe issues will require an expert team. These teams operate in both community and primary mental healthcare services as well as psychiatric hospitals. You can also seek assistance in a secure environment should you be in a state of crisis.
Talking therapies are one of the most commonly used forms of treatment for depression and anxiety. Previously known as IAPT the programs have seen referral numbers increase each year since they were introduced in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan commits to expanding these programs to ensure that 1.9 million people will be able to access them by 2023/2024.
Psychiatric medications are also a vital part of treatment. They can alleviate symptoms by altering the way chemicals work in your brain. They can also help minimize the adverse effects of other treatments. Your doctor will suggest the best medication for you.
private mental health care of talk therapy treatments are available, including group therapy and individual therapy. Some of these treatments are delivered in person, while others can be done online. Some patients prefer face-to-face treatment, but it's a matter of choice. There are also a number of charities which offer support groups and courses like Mind. The website contains a wealth of information that is trustworthy, but be aware that there are a lot of false or misleading claims on the internet regarding mental health issues.
The NHS is working to improve the quality of mental health care, but it struggles to meet the demand. In the UK, there are 54 mental trusts. The majority of them receive funding from the clinical commissioning group. They are usually located in a particular region, but they can be contracted to provide national services.
The shortage of resources is a major issue. There are concerns over the quality and shortage of nurses and psychiatrists. The NHS is striving to improve its services by introducing new ways of work and delivering more training. It is also introducing more secure and efficient methods to assist people in need like mobile crisis teams and secure places.
Supporting you
Since the NHS was established 70 years ago there have been positive developments for those with mental health issues. Treatment options have expanded and social barriers are breaking down. However, there is still much to be done.
People who are suffering from mental illness need to receive the assistance they require quickly and easily. That's why the NHS is striving to improve the services available to those who require them. We will ensure that every acute hospital does not have 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, working towards a 100% coverage rate after that.
We will also extend services for people who need them in the community, including therapy for talking, which will give thousands of more people suffering from severe or common mental health issues the help they need. We will continue to work on the national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) program so that more people can be seen by qualified therapists, faster.
The NHS provides confidential, free assistance to anyone suffering from mental health issues. Samaritans Mind and Rethink are some of the helplines that are available. These helplines are run by volunteers who offer an environment where you can talk to someone in a safe manner or give advice and information on how to manage your mental health issues.
There are also a number local organizations that can offer assistance and support to those who suffer from mental health issues. Self-help guides, coping strategies and other activities are all possible. A lot of these organizations offer face-to-face support groups for those who would prefer this type of support.
The University's Open Door Team offers a drop-in counseling service for students who are struggling or stressed. Nightline is a student counselling service that offers private listening, support and information from experienced volunteers. Charities like Mind and Rethink are a excellent source of information and can offer support in many forms, including online and through local groups. They can also offer various classes and activities, ranging from mindfulness to art classes, which may be useful for those living with mental health issues.
Referrals
With mental health services under pressure, GPs have to make difficult choices about which specialist services they can refer patients to. The doctor will take the patient's medical history into consideration and then recommend them to a service they believe will be able to help. They might send a referral to an NHS trust or an independent provider.
what is it worth will then assess the referral and decide whether it's appropriate or not. If the specialist isn't satisfied with the referral, they'll call the GP and explain why. They can also ask the GP for more information or to modify the referral.
Referrals to the local Community Mental Health Team can be made via the NHS e-Referral Service. The system permits GPs and other healthcare professionals to refer people to either a pre-mental health clinical assessment service or directly to an outpatient appointment. However, not all CMHTs provide both options, and the system isn't able to be used for every type of mental health referral.
A doctor may decide to refer a patient to an expert community mental health service (CMT). They are usually managed by a large hospital or local healthcare organization. CMTs can be a good option for those who want to consult with a seasoned psychiatrist or psychologist but do not require inpatient treatment. They can also offer an early intervention program where psychiatrists collaborate with therapy therapist to assist someone in overcoming an issue or improve the quality of their lives.
CMTs have the responsibility of ensuring that all referrals are made within a reasonable time. One of the challenges is that a large number of referrals are deemed as urgent, even though they might not be. This can lead people who aren't experiencing a crisis to be rushed and suffer delays.
To address this issue, certain CMHTs are working to establish more uniform standards for what constitutes an urgent referral. This was accomplished by using a standardised form that asks the referrer if they believe the case is urgent. The proforma includes a box that the referrer can tick if they feel that the referral is urgent.