Mental Health Services on the NHS
There has been a massive increase in people seeking treatment for mental health issues, and the NHS has responded by offering services. This includes:
The Long Term Plan reaffirmed its commitment to boost investment in mental health services more quickly than the overall NHS budget. This will include specialist work in suicide prevention.
Get assistance
One in four people will be affected by mental illness at some point during their lives. The good news is that there are many ways to get help, and many of us will be able to recover over time. 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 GP (primary medical doctor who treats patients) as well as your local health centre or a community mental health team. These teams consist of occupational therapists, nurses, psychotherapists and speech and language therapists who work with those who utilize the service. Based on the type of help you require you could receive individual or group therapy.
Your GP will typically ask you to fill in a form to refer you to a community mental health team. They will also ask you to specify what kind of support you need. Then, you will be viewed by a member of a mental health team that may comprise a psychiatrist social worker or psychologist. In some cases a clinical nurse specialist will carry out your assessment and treatment. You can call the NHS 111 helpline for assistance if you're in a crisis. If you are already receiving mental health support, it is best to contact your primary team first, unless out of hours, on a weekend or a bank holiday.
The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health included plans to establish more multidisciplinary, community-based, place-based mental health teams with links to primary care networks. These teams will improve the quality of the mental health services provided to those in crisis, and provide support to them in their own homes and communities instead of in hospitals.
The plan also aims at making emergency services available by decreasing wait times and allowing more beds. It also proposed to introduce mental health transport vehicles and make sure that every ambulance has an official who is a mental health liaison in their control rooms to improve the way that people who are having a mental health crisis are supported in emergency situations.
Treatment options
The NHS offers a variety of treatment options to treat mental health problems. Less severe disorders are often treated by GPs however more serious disorders require specialists. These teams operate across primary and community mental health services as well as psychiatric hospitals. You can also seek help in a secure environment should you be in a state of crisis.
Talking treatments for anxiety and depression are among the main kinds of treatment. Formerly known as IAPT, these programs have seen referral numbers increase each year since they were introduced in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan has committed to expanding these programs to 1.9 million people by 2023/2024.
Psychiatric medications are another crucial aspect of treatment. They can alleviate symptoms by altering the way that chemicals function in your brain. They can also help alleviate the side effects of other treatments. Your doctor will prescribe the appropriate medication for you.
mental assessment near me of talking therapy options are offered including group therapy and individual therapy. Some of these treatments are offered in person, while other can be done via remote access. Some patients prefer receiving treatment in person, but this is a personal choice. Mind is one of many charities that provide support groups and courses. The site is full of information that is trustworthy, but be aware that there are many false or misleading claims on the internet about mental health issues.
While the NHS is improving its mental health care but it's still struggling to cope with demand. There are 54 mental health trusts across the UK and the majority of them receive funding from clinical commissioning groups to provide their service. They typically are located in a particular region however they can also be commissioned to provide national services.
One of the main issues is the lack of resources to meet the demands of the rising population. There are also concerns about the quality of care, and there is a shortage of psychiatrists and nurses. The NHS is striving to improve its services by introducing new ways of work and delivering more training. It also offers safer and more effective methods of treating those who are in crisis. These include mobile crisis teams and secure spaces.
Helping you
Since the NHS was first introduced 70 years ago there have been positive changes for those 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 who are in mental health issues should get the help they need quickly and easily. That's why the NHS is working hard to improve the services available to those who require these services. We will ensure that every acute hospital does not have a mental health liaison service 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 achieving 100% coverage afterward.
We will also expand services for people who need them in the community, including talking therapies, to give 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) in order to ensure that more people suffering from mental health issues are seen faster by therapists who are qualified.
The NHS provides free, confidential helplines for anyone suffering from a mental health issue. These include the Samaritans and Mind and Rethink. These helplines are run entirely by volunteers who provide a safe place to talk or give advice and information on how to deal your mental health issues.
In addition to that, there are a lot of local organizations that provide support and guidance to those suffering from mental health issues. Self-help guides, coping strategies and activities can be included. Many of these organizations also offer face-to-face support groups for those who prefer this method.
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, which provides confidential listening and support from skilled volunteers, or details about other services. Charities such as Mind and Rethink can provide many sources of information and support both on the internet and in local groups. They can offer a range of classes and activities, from mindfulness to art classes, which are useful for people with mental health issues.
Making a referral
Mental health services are under strain and GPs must make difficult choices about which specialist services they should refer their patients to. The doctor will take into consideration the patient's medical background and recommend them to services they believe will be able to assist. They may send a referral 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 isn't pleased with the referral they will call the GP to discuss their decision and provide the reason. They may request the GP to alter the referral or request additional information.
The referral to 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 to direct patients to a preliminary assessment service for mental health or directly to an appointment. However, not all CMHTs provide both options, and the system cannot be used for every type of mental health referral.
A GP may decide to refer a patient to a specialized community mental health service (CMT). These are usually run by a major local healthcare organization or a hospital. CMTs are a great option for those who want to consult a qualified psychologist or psychiatrist but don't need inpatient treatment. They also offer an early intervention service where a psychiatrist will work with a therapist to help a person overcome a crisis or improve their life quality.
CMTs face the challenge of ensuring that all referrals are received within a reasonable time. One of the issues is that a large number of referrals are considered urgent, even though they may not be. This can lead to over-working and delays for people who are not in crisis.
To tackle this issue, some CMHTs are trying to establish more consistent 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.