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 increase investment in mental healthcare services faster than the overall NHS budget. This includes specialist work in suicide prevention.
Getting help
One of four of us will experience mental health issues at some time in our lives. The good news is there are a variety of ways to seek help, and many of us will improve with time. It's important to understand what assistance is available and who can provide it.
You can seek assistance from your GP or your local health center or a mental health team in your community. These teams consist of occupational and nurse psychotherapists, as well as speech therapists. They work with the people who use their services. You may receive individual or group therapy based on the type of help you need.
Your doctor will typically require you to fill out a form to make a referral to a community mental health team. They will also speak to you about the type of help you require. You will then be seen by a member of a mental health team that may include a psychiatrist, psychologist or social worker. In some cases the clinical nurse specialist will carry out your assessment and treatment. You can contact the NHS 111 helpline when you're in an emergency. If you already receive mental health services, it is best to call your usual team first, unless out of hours, on a weekend, or a bank holiday.
The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health detailed plans to establish multidisciplinary, community-based mental health teams which are connected to primary care networks. These will help to improve the quality of care that is delivered to people who are experiencing an illness of mental health and provide support in their homes and communities instead of in hospitals.
The plan also aimed to make crisis services more accessible by reducing waiting times and allowing more beds. It also proposes an ambulance for mental health and ensure that all ambulances are outfitted with an individual who is a mental liaison nurse in the control room to improve how those who are experiencing mental distress are assisted in emergency situations.
Treatment options
The NHS offers a variety of treatment options for mental health conditions. GPs are often able to treat less severe conditions, but more severe conditions will require the assistance of a specialist team. These teams are spread across both community and primary mental health services and also the psychiatric hospitals. There are also safe places where you can seek help if you are feeling in a state of crisis.
Talking treatments for anxiety and depression are among the main treatments. These programs, previously known as IAPT (Interactive Assessment and Psychotherapy), have seen their referral numbers increase each year since they first introduced in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan has set the goal of expanding these services to 1.9 million people by 2023/2024.
Psychiatric medications are another crucial component of treatment. They can improve symptoms by altering the way the brain's chemicals function. They can also be used to lessen the negative effects of other treatments. Your doctor will prescribe the best medication for you.
There are a variety of talking therapies, including individual therapy and group therapy. Some of these can be delivered in person, whereas others are available remotely. Some patients prefer face-to face treatment, but it is the choice of the patient. There are also a number of charities which offer classes and support groups, such as Mind. The site contains a wealth of information that is trustworthy, but be aware of the fact that there are a lot of false or misleading claims on the internet regarding mental health issues.
The NHS is advancing 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 they receive funding from clinical commissioning organizations to deliver their services. They typically are located in a particular region however, they are also able to be contracted to provide national services.
The shortage of resources is a major issue. There are concerns about the quality of care and the shortage of psychiatrists and nurses. The NHS is trying to improve the quality of care by introducing new methods of work and delivering more training. It also provides safer and more effective methods of treating those who are in crisis. This includes mobile crisis teams, as well as safe space.
Supporting you
Since the NHS was launched 70 years ago there have been numerous positive developments for people suffering from mental health issues. Treatment options have gotten more diverse and social barriers are breaking down. However, there is still much to be done.
People who are suffering from mental health issues must be able to access the help they need quickly and easily. The NHS is working to improve its services to ensure that those who need them can get help. We will ensure that no acute hospital is without the mental health liaison service in A&E departments and wards for patients by 2020/21, and that 70 percent of these services will be in line with the 'core 24' standard by 2023/24. We will work towards 100% coverage thereafter.
We will also extend services for those who require them in the community, including psychotherapy, in order to provide thousands of more people with common or severe mental health conditions the support they require. We will continue to develop the national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme so that more people are treated by trained therapists quicker.
The NHS provides free, confidential helplines for anyone suffering from a mental health issue. Samaritans Mind and Rethink are some of the helplines available. These helplines are run by trained volunteers and provide the opportunity to talk with someone in a secure environment, or offer guidance and information on how to tackle your mental health issues.
Additionally to that, there are a lot of local organizations that can provide assistance and support for those with mental health issues. These can include self-help guides, strategies for coping and activities to try. A lot of these organizations offer face-to-face support groups for those who prefer this option.
The University's Open Door Team offers a drop-in counseling service for students experiencing stress or depression. Nightline is a student counseling service that offers private listening, support and information from experienced volunteers. Charities such as Mind and Rethink are a great source of information and provide support in various forms that include online and through local groups. They can offer a range of activities and courses ranging from mindfulness to art classes, which are beneficial for those with mental health issues.
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With mental health services under pressure, GPs have to make difficult decisions about the services they will refer patients to. The GP will take a patient's medical history into account and then recommend them to a service they believe can assist. They might send a referral to an NHS trust or an independent service.
A mental health specialist will assess the referral to determine if it is appropriate or not. If the specialist isn't happy with the referral, they will contact the GP and explain why. They could request the GP to alter the referral or request more details.
Referrals to the local Community Mental Health Team can be made via the NHS e-Referral Service. The system allows GPs as well as other healthcare professionals to refer patients to either a preliminary mental health assessment or directly to an appointment with an outpatient. However not all CMHTs provide both options, and the system can't be used for every type of mental health referral.
A GP might decide to refer a person to a specialized community mental health service (CMT). These are usually run either by an enormous hospital or a local healthcare organisation. CMTs are a great alternative for those looking to consult with a seasoned psychologist or psychiatrist, but do not require inpatient treatment. They also provide an early intervention program where a psychiatrist works with a psychotherapist to assist someone in overcoming any crisis or improve the quality of their lives.
One of the challenges faced by a CMT is how to ensure that all appropriate referrals are assigned within the appropriate timeframe. Many referrals are considered urgent, even if they may not be. This can lead to delays and over-working for those who are not in crisis.
To address this issue, some CMHTs have tried to establish more uniform guidelines for what constitutes an urgent referral. This has been accomplished by using the standardised referral forma that requires a referrer to consider whether the case is urgent. The proforma includes a box that the referrer can tick when they believe the referral is urgent.