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 invest more in mental health services faster than the overall NHS budget. This will include specialist work in suicide prevention.
Get help
One out of four of us will suffer from a mental health problem at some moment in our lives. The good news is that there are a variety of different options to seek help and most of us recover with time. It is crucial to know what help is available and who can offer it.
You can seek help from a variety of sources such as your doctor (primary medical doctor who treats patients), your local health centre or a community mental health team. These teams comprise of occupational and nurse psychotherapists and speech therapists. They collaborate with patients who require their services. You can get individual or group therapy based on the type of help you require.
Your doctor will typically ask you to fill in the form so that they can refer you to a local 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, which may include a psychiatrist, psychologist or social worker. In certain instances your evaluation and treatment will be performed by a clinical nurse specialist. If you're in an emergency, you can contact the NHS 111 helpline for immediate assistance. If you are already receiving mental health services, it is best to call your usual team first, unless it's outside of hours, or on a weekend or 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. mental health assessment will enhance the quality of the mental health services delivered to people experiencing a crisis, and will provide assistance to those in their homes and community rather than in hospitals.
The plan also aimed to help make crisis services more accessible by reducing wait times and allowing more beds. It also proposes the introduction of mental health transport vehicles and ensure that all ambulances have an official who is a mental health liaison in their control rooms to improve the way that those suffering from mental health issues are helped in times of crisis.
Treatment options
The NHS offers a range of treatment options to treat mental health issues. GPs typically have the ability to treat milder illnesses, however more serious conditions will require the assistance of a specialist team. These teams are spread across both community and primary mental health services as well as mental health hospitals. You can also seek assistance in a secure space if you feel in crisis.
Talking therapies for depression and anxiety are among the main types of treatment. These programs, previously referred to as IAPT (Interactive Assessment and Psychotherapy) have seen their number of referrals increase each year since they were 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 medicines are also a crucial element of treatment. They can improve symptoms through altering the way that chemicals function in your brain. They can also be used to ease side effects of other treatments. Your doctor will prescribe the right medication for you.
A wide range of talking therapy treatments are available including group therapy and individual therapy. Some of these can be delivered in person, but others can be done remotely. Some patients prefer treatment in person, but that is a personal decision. Mind is one of many charities that offer support groups and courses. Their website contains a wealth of trustworthy information, but you must be aware that there is a lot of false or misleading information available on the internet regarding mental health issues.
While the NHS is working to improve its mental health care but it's still struggling to cope with demand. In the UK there are 54 mental trusts. They receive the majority of funding for their services from the clinical commissioning group. They usually are located in a specific region however, they may be contracted to provide national services.
The lack of resources is a major issue. There are also concerns over 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 providing more training. It also offers more secure and efficient methods of treating those who are in crisis. This includes mobile crisis teams and secure space.
Supporting you
Since the NHS launched 70 years ago there have been numerous positive developments for those suffering from mental health issues. The options for treatment have grown and social barriers have been smashed down. But there is more to be done.
People who are in mental illness need to receive the assistance they require quickly and easily. The NHS is working to improve its services to ensure that those in need receive assistance. In 2020/21, we will ensure that all acute hospitals offer a mental health liaison service that is available in A&E as well as on wards for patients, and that 70% of these will meet the standard of 24 by 2023/24. We will then strive to achieve 100 percent coverage.
We will also increase services for the community, such as talking therapy, to offer assistance to hundreds of thousands of individuals suffering from mental health issues regardless of whether they are severe or common. We will continue to develop our national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme (IAPT), so that more people with mental health problems can be seen more quickly by trained therapists.
The NHS offers confidential, free helplines to anyone struggling with mental health issues. These include the Samaritans and Mind and Rethink. These helplines are run entirely by volunteers who offer an environment where you can talk to someone in a safe manner or give advice and information on how to deal your mental health concerns.
In addition, there are a number of local organisations which can provide support and guidance to those with mental health issues. These can include self-help guides, strategies for coping and activities to try. Many of these organisations also offer support groups that meet face-to-face for those who would prefer this type of support.
The University's Open Door Team offers a drop-in counseling service for students struggling or stressed. There is also the Nightline student counselling service, which provides confidential listening and support from knowledgeable volunteers, as well as information about other services. Charities such as Mind and Rethink can provide a wealth of information and support, both online and in local groups. They can also offer various classes and activities, from mindfulness to art classes, which may be useful for people who suffer from mental health problems.
Making a referral
Mental health services are under pressure and GPs have to make difficult decisions about the best specialist services to refer their patients to. The doctor will take into consideration the medical history of the patient and recommend them to services they believe will be able assist. They may send a referral either to an NHS trust, or an independent provider.
A mental health specialist will review the referral to determine if the referral is appropriate or not. If the specialist isn't satisfied with the referral, they'll call the GP and explain why. They can also ask the GP for more details or to alter the referral.
Referrals to a local Community Mental Health Team can be made through the NHS e-Referral Service. The system lets doctors and other healthcare professionals send patients to either a preliminary clinical assessment for mental health or directly to an appointment. However not all CMHTs provide both options, and the system isn't able to be used for every type of mental health referral.
A doctor may also refer a patient to a community mental health specialist service (CMT). These are usually run either by an enormous hospital or a local healthcare organization. CMTs are an excellent option for those who have to consult a psychologist or psychiatrist but don't require inpatient treatment. They can also provide an early intervention service where a psychiatrist collaborates with an therapist to help a person overcome a crisis or improve their life quality.
One of the challenges that CMTs CMT is to ensure that all appropriate referrals are allocated within the appropriate timeframe. Many referrals are considered urgent even though they may not be. This can lead to delays and over-working for those who aren't in need.
To address this issue some CMHTs are trying to establish more consistent standards for what is considered an urgent referral. This was accomplished by using a standardised form that asks the referrer to indicate if the case is urgent. The form includes a box that the referrer can tick when the referral is urgent.