Mental Health Services on the NHS
The NHS has responded to the increase in mental health problems by offering services. This includes:
The Long Term Plan reaffirmed its commitment to invest more in mental healthcare services faster than overall NHS budget. This includes specialist work in suicide prevention.
Get assistance
One in four of us will have 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 with time. It's important to understand what assistance is available and who can provide it.
You can seek help from your doctor, your local health center or mental health service in your community. These teams consist of nurses, occupational therapists psychotherapists, psychotherapists, and speech and language therapists who work with people who use the service. Based on the kind of assistance you require you could receive individual or group therapy.
Your GP will typically require you to fill out the form so that they can make a referral to a local mental health team. They will also ask you what you require in terms of support. You will be consulted by a member of the mental team like psychiatrist, psychologist or social worker. In certain instances the clinical nurse specialist will carry out your assessment and treatment. If you are experiencing crisis, contact the NHS 111 helpline for immediate assistance. If you are already receiving support for your mental health, it is best to contact your regular team first, unless it is out of hours, on a weekend, or a bank holiday.
The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health set out plans to establish more place-based, multidisciplinary community mental health teams with links to primary care networks. These teams will improve the quality of the mental health services delivered to people experiencing a crisis, and provide support to them in their homes and community rather than in hospitals.
The plan aims to make crisis services accessible by decreasing waiting times and opening more beds. It would also introduce an ambulance for mental health and ensure that all ambulances are stocked with a mental liaison nurse within the control room to improve how people experiencing a mental crisis are supported during emergency situations.
Treatment options
The NHS offers a range of treatment options for mental health conditions. GPs are often able to treat less severe illnesses, however more serious issues will require a specialist team. These teams operate across both community and primary mental health services, as well as psychiatric hospitals. There are also safe spaces where you can seek assistance for those who are in crisis.
Talking therapies are one of the most commonly used forms of treatment for depression and anxiety. These programs, formerly known as IAPT (Interactive Assessment and Psychotherapy) have seen their number of referrals increase each year since they first introduced in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan commits to expanding these programs so that 1.9 million people will be able to access them in 2023/2024.
Psychiatric medicines are also an important part of treatment. They can help alleviate symptoms by changing the way chemicals work in your brain. They can also be used to minimize the adverse effects of other treatments. Your doctor will recommend a medicine that is right for you.
A wide variety of talking therapy options are available which include group therapy as well as individual therapy. Some of these therapies can be offered in person, while other are available online. Some patients prefer face-to-face treatment, but it is an individual choice. There are also a lot of charities that provide support groups and courses like Mind. Their website is full of information that is reliable, however you should be aware of the fact that there's plenty of inaccurate or misleading information available on the internet regarding mental health issues.
The NHS is improving the quality of mental health care, but it is struggling to meet the demand. There are 54 mental health trusts in the UK and the majority of them receive funding from clinical commissioning organizations to deliver their service. They are typically located in a specific area however, they can also be contracted to provide national services.
A key issue is the lack of resources to meet the growing demand. There are also concerns about the quality of care, and the shortage of psychiatrists and nurses. The NHS is working to improve the services by introducing new methods of working and offering more training. It also introduces more efficient and safer methods of treating people who are in crisis. This includes mobile crisis teams, as well as safe spaces.
We are here to help you
Since the NHS was first introduced 70 years ago there are positive changes for people suffering from mental health issues. The options for treatment have grown and social barriers have been smashed down. But there's still a lot to be done.
Patients who are experiencing mental health issues require the ability to get the assistance they require quickly and easily. The NHS is striving to improve the quality of services so that people in need are able to access help. By 2020/21 we will ensure that all acute hospitals offer a mental health liaison service both in A&E and on wards for inpatients, and that 70% will be in compliance with the core 24 standard by 2023/24. Then we will strive to achieve 100% coverage.
We will also increase services for people who require them in the community, which includes talking therapies, to give thousands of more people with common or severe mental health conditions the support they require. We will continue to work on our national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme (IAPT) in order to ensure that more people with mental health conditions can be seen quicker by qualified therapists.
The NHS provides free, confidential helplines to anyone struggling with a mental health issue. Samaritans Mind and Rethink are some of the helplines available. These helplines are run by trained volunteers. They offer the opportunity to talk with someone in a secure environment or provide guidance and information on how to manage your mental health concerns.
There are also local organizations that can offer assistance and support to those who suffer from mental health issues. These include self-help guides, coping strategies, and activities to try. Many of these organizations also offer face-to-face support groups for those who prefer this method.
For students, there is the University's Open Door Team which offers the opportunity to visit a counselling center for those who are feeling down or stressed. There is also the Nightline student counselling service that provides confidential listening and support from skilled volunteers, or information on other services. Charities such as Mind and Rethink are a excellent source of information. They can offer support in many forms that include online and through local groups. They also offer various courses and activities, from mindfulness to art classes which can be helpful for those living with mental health problems.
Referrals
Mental health services are under pressure and GPs must make difficult decisions about which specialist services to refer their patients to. mental health assesment will consider the patient's medical background and refer them to services they believe will be able to assist. They can send a referral to an NHS trust, or an independent provider.
A mental health specialist will then evaluate the referral and decide if it's appropriate or not. If the specialist isn't happy with the referral, they'll call the GP to discuss their decision and explain the reason. They may also request the GP for more details or to modify the referral.
Referrals to the local Community Mental Health Team can be made using the NHS e-Referral Service. The system permits GPs and other health professionals to refer people to either a preliminary mental health clinical assessment service or directly to an outpatient appointment. Not all CMHTs offer both options and the system can't be used for all types of mental health referrals.
A GP can refer a patient to a mental health specialist in the community service (CMT). They are typically run by a major local health organization or hospital. CMTs are a good choice for those who have to consult a psychologist or psychiatrist but do not require inpatient care. They can also provide an early intervention service where a psychiatrist works with a therapy therapist to help someone overcome a crisis or improve the quality of their lives.
CMTs are faced with the task of ensuring that all referrals are received within a reasonable time frame. Many referrals are considered urgent, even though they might not be. This can cause patients who aren't experiencing a crisis to be rushed and suffer delays.
To tackle this issue, some CMHTs are trying to establish more uniform standards for what constitutes an urgent referral. This was accomplished by using a standardised form which asks the referrer if they believe the case is urgent. The form includes a box that the referrer can tick when the request is urgent.