Mental Health Services on the NHS
The NHS has responded to the rise in mental health problems by offering services. This includes:
The Long Term Plan has made an unrepeatable commitment to increase the amount of money spent on mental health services faster than the NHS budget in general. This will include specialist work in suicide prevention.
Need help?
One of four people will be affected by mental illness at some time in their lives. The good news is there are many ways to get help, and many of us will recover over time. However, it is important to know what assistance is available, and who can provide it.
You can get help from your doctor or your local health center or a mental health team in your local area. These teams consist of nurses, occupational therapists psychotherapists, psychotherapists and speech and language therapists who work together with people who use the service. You can get individual or group therapy, based on the type of assistance you need.
Your GP will typically request you to fill out the form to make a referral to a community mental health team. They will also ask you to specify what type of assistance you require. You will then be seen by a member of the mental health team that could include a psychiatrist, social worker or psychologist. In some cases a clinical nurse specialist will conduct your assessment and treatment. You can call the NHS 111 helpline if you are in an emergency. If you're already being 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 a bank holiday.
The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health outlined plans to create more multidisciplinary, place-based community mental health teams that have links to primary care networks. They will improve the quality of the care delivered to people who are experiencing a mental health crisis. They will also provide support in their homes and communities instead of in hospitals.
The plan also aimed to make crisis services more accessible by reducing wait times and opening more beds. It would also include an ambulance for mental health and ensure that all ambulances are equipped with an individual who is a mental liaison nurse in the control room to ensure that patients who are suffering from mental illness are helped in times of crisis.
Treatment options
The NHS offers a wide array of treatment options for mental health issues. GPs are often able to treat milder conditions, but more severe illnesses will require a specialist team. These teams work across both community and primary mental health services, and the psychiatric hospitals. There are also safe spaces where you can seek help for those who are in a state of crisis.
Talking therapies are one of the most common types of treatment for depression and anxiety. These programs, previously referred to as IAPT (Interactive Assessment and Psychotherapy) have seen their number of referrals increase every year since they were launched in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan has set the goal of expanding these services to 1.9 million people by 2023/2024.
Psychiatric medicines are also an important part of treatment. They can alleviate symptoms by changing the way the brain's chemicals function. They can also help minimize the adverse effects of other treatments. Your doctor will recommend the right medication for you.
There are many kinds of talk therapies, such as group therapy and individual therapy. Some of these treatments are offered in person, while other can be done via remote access. Some patients prefer face-to face treatment, but it's the choice of the patient. There are also a lot of charities which offer support groups and classes, such as Mind. The site is full of information that is trustworthy however, be aware of the fact that there are a lot of false or misleading statements that are posted on the internet regarding mental health issues.
The NHS is advancing mental health check here care but it struggles to meet the demand. There are 54 mental health trusts in the UK, and most of are funded by clinical commissioning organizations to deliver their service. They typically are located in a particular region however they can also be commissioned to provide national services.
A key issue is the lack of resources to meet rising demand. There are concerns about the quality and availability of nurses and psychiatrists. The NHS is working to improve the quality of care by delivering more training and introducing new ways of working. It also introduces more efficient and safer methods to assist people in need including mobile crisis teams and secure spaces.
Helping you
Since the NHS website was launched 70 years ago, there have been many positive developments for those suffering from mental health issues. Treatment options have expanded and social barriers are breaking down. However, there is much to do.
People experiencing mental health issues need to be able to access the help they require quickly and easily. The NHS is striving to improve the quality of services to ensure that those in need can get assistance. In 2020/21, we will ensure that all acute hospitals have a mental health liaison service both in A&E as well as on wards for patients and that 70% will meet the core 24 standard by 2023/24. We will then strive for 100% coverage.
We will also extend services for people who require them in the community, including therapy for talking, which will give hundreds of thousands of people suffering from severe or common mental health conditions the assistance they need. We will continue to work on our national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme (IAPT), so that more people suffering from mental health problems can be seen more quickly by trained therapists.
The NHS provides free, confidential helplines for anyone suffering from a mental health here issue. These include the Samaritans and Mind and Rethink. These helplines are run by trained volunteers and provide the opportunity to talk with someone in a secure environment, more info or offer information and advice on how to deal with your mental health concerns.
Additionally, there are a number of local organizations that can offer support and guidance for those with mental health issues. They can provide self-help guides, strategies for coping and activities to try. Many of these organizations also offer face-to-face support groups for those who prefer this option.
For students, there's the University's Open Door Team which offers an opportunity to consult with a counsellor at any time for those feeling low or stressed. Nightline is a student counseling service that provides confidential listening as well as information and support from experienced volunteers. Charities such as Mind and Rethink can provide many sources of information and assistance, both on the internet and in local groups. They also offer many classes and activities, ranging from mindfulness to art groups that could be beneficial for those living with mental health problems.
Referrals
With mental health services under pressure, doctors are forced to make difficult choices about what specialist services they should refer patients to. The GP will take a patient's medical history into consideration and then refer them to a specialist they think will be able to help. They can send a referral either to an NHS trust, or an independent provider.
A mental health professional will examine the referral to determine if the referral is appropriate or not. If the specialist isn't happy with the referral, they'll call the GP and explain the reasons. They may also request the GP for more information or to change the referral.
Requests for a local Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) can be made through the NHS e-Referral Service (e-RS). The system allows private mental health assessment GPs as well as other healthcare professionals to refer patients to either a mental health assessment or directly to an outpatient appointment. Not all CMHTs provide both options, and the system is not able to be used for all types of mental health referrals.
A GP might decide to refer a patient to an expert community mental health service (CMT). These are usually run either by an extensive hospital or a local healthcare organization. CMTs are a great option for those who want to see an experienced psychologist or psychiatrist, but don't need inpatient treatment. They also provide an early intervention service where psychiatrists work with a psychotherapist to help someone overcome any crisis or improve the quality of their life.
CMTs face the challenge of making sure that all referrals are received within a reasonable amount of time. Many referrals are considered 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 consistent guidelines for what is an urgent referral. This is being achieved through the use of an established referral form that requires a referrer consider whether the case is urgent. The form has a checkbox for the referrer to tick when they believe the referral is urgent.