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 an unrepeatable commitment to increase investment in mental health services quicker than the NHS budget overall. This includes the work of a specialist in suicide prevention.
Get help
One of four of us will experience a mental health problem at some moment in our lives. The good news is that there are many different ways to seek assistance and the majority of us recover over time. It is crucial to know what help is available and who can offer 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 nurses, occupational therapists psychotherapists, psychotherapists, and speech and language therapists who collaborate with those who utilize the service. You can get individual or group therapy depending on the type of help you require.
Your GP will usually request you to fill out an application form to send you a referral to a community mental health team. They will also talk with you about the type of help you require. You will then be seen by someone from a mental health team that may include a psychiatrist, psychologist or social worker. In certain instances, your assessment and treatment will be performed by a clinical nurse specialist. You can contact the NHS 111 helpline when you're in a crisis. If you're already being supported by mental health services it's a good idea contact your regular team first, unless it's out of the normal hours, a weekend or on a bank holiday.
The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health set out plans to establish more multidisciplinary, place-based community mental health teams with links to primary care networks. private mental health assessment cost uk www.iampsychiatry.com will help to improve the quality of care that is provided to those suffering from a mental health crisis and offer assistance within their communities and homes, rather than in hospital.
The plan also aimed to help make crisis services more accessible by reducing wait times and allowing more beds. It would also introduce the mental transport vehicle and ensure that all ambulances are stocked with a mental liaison nurse in the control room to make sure that patients who are suffering from mental illness are supported during emergency situations.
Treatment options
The NHS offers a variety of treatment options to treat mental health problems. GPs are often able to treat less severe disorders, but more serious issues will require the assistance of a specialist team. These teams are located in community and primary healthcare facilities, as well psychiatric hospital. You can also seek help in a secure space if you feel in crisis.
Talking treatments for anxiety and depression are among the main kinds of treatment. Previously referred to as IAPT, these programs have seen referrals increase every year since their introduction in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan commits to expanding these programs so that 1.9 million people will be able to use them in 2023/2024.
Psychiatric medicines are another important aspect of treatment. They can improve symptoms by altering the way the brain's chemicals function. They can also be used to alleviate the side effects of other treatments. Your doctor will prescribe the best medication for you.
A wide range of talking therapy options are available which include group therapy as well as individual therapy. Some of these therapies are delivered in person, while others are available via remote access. Some patients prefer receiving treatment in person, but this is a personal preference. Mind is one of many charities that provide support groups and courses. Their website is full of information that is reliable, however you should be aware that there's lots of inaccurate or misleading information available 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 demands. There are 54 mental health trusts across the UK and the majority of them receive funding from clinical commissioning groups to deliver their service. They are usually located in a particular region however, they are also able to be commissioned to deliver national services.
The shortage of resources is a major problem. There are concerns about the quality and availability of psychiatrists and nurses. The NHS is trying to improve the quality of care by delivering more training and developing new ways of working. It is also introducing more efficient and safer methods to treat people in crisis like mobile crisis teams, as well as safe spaces.
Supporting you
Since the NHS was launched 70 years ago there have been numerous positive developments for those suffering from mental health issues. The treatment options have gotten better and social barriers have been taken down. But there's still a lot to be done.
People experiencing a mental health crisis need to be able to get the assistance they require quickly and easily. The NHS is working to improve its services so that people in need are able to access them. In 2020/21, we will ensure that all acute hospitals have a mental-health liaison service, both in A&E and on wards for inpatients, and that 70% of these will meet the core 24 standard by 2023/24. We will then strive to achieve 100 percent coverage.
We will also expand services for people who need them in the community, including psychotherapy, in order to provide hundreds of thousands of patients with severe or common mental health conditions the assistance they need. We will continue to work on the national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) program to ensure that more people are treated by trained therapists quicker.
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 entirely by volunteers who offer a safe place to talk or provide advice and information on how to manage your mental health issues.
There are also local organisations that can provide help and advice to those with mental health issues. These can include self-help guides, coping strategies, and activities to try. Many of these organizations offer support groups that meet face-to-face to those who prefer it.
For students, there is the University's Open Door Team which offers the opportunity to visit a counselling center for those who are feeling low or stressed. Nightline is a student counseling service that offers private listening assistance, information and support from experienced volunteers. Charities such as Mind and Rethink can provide an abundance of information and support, both on the internet and in local groups. They also provide a variety of courses and activities, from mindfulness to art classes, which may be useful for people suffering from mental health problems.
Making a referral
With mental health services under pressure, GPs are having to make difficult decisions regarding the services they will refer patients to. The doctor will take the patient's medical history into account and then recommend them to a service they think will be able to help. They might send a referral to an NHS trust or an independent service.
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 will call the GP and explain the reasons. They could request the GP to modify the referral or request more details.
Referrals to a local Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) may be made via the NHS e-Referral Service (e-RS). The system allows doctors and other healthcare professionals send patients to either an initial clinical assessment for mental health or directly to an appointment. Not all CMHTs offer 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 person to a specialist community mental health service (CMT). They are typically operated by a large local healthcare organization or hospital. CMTs are a great option for people who wish to see an experienced psychiatrist or psychologist but don't require inpatient care. They can also offer an early intervention service where a psychiatrist works with a therapy therapist to assist someone in overcoming any crisis or improve the quality of their lives.
One of the challenges that CMTs CMT is to ensure that all referrals are assigned within the appropriate timeframe. Many referrals are deemed urgent even though they may not be. This can lead to over-working and delays for people who aren't in need.
To address this issue, certain CMHTs are working to establish more uniform guidelines for what is an urgent referral. This is being achieved by using a standardised referral proforma that requires a referrer to decide if the situation is urgent. The form has a checkbox for the referrer to tick if they feel that the referral is urgent.