Mental Health Services on the NHS
There has been an enormous increase in people seeking treatment for mental health issues, and the NHS has responded by providing services. This includes:
The Long Term Plan reaffirmed its commitment to invest more in mental healthcare services faster than the overall NHS budget. This includes specialist work in suicide prevention.
Getting help
One out of four people will be affected by a mental illness at some point during their lives. The good news is that there are a variety of different ways to seek help and most of us recover after a while. care act assessment mental health iampsychiatry.com to understand what help is available and who can offer it.
You can seek help from your GP or the local health center, or a mental health team in your area. These teams are comprised of occupational and nurse psychotherapists, as well as speech therapists. They work with the clients who seek their services. You can get individual or group therapy based on the type of assistance you require.
You will be asked to fill out a form by your GP so that they can refer you to a mental health professional in the community. They will also speak to you about the kind of help you need. Then, you will be viewed by a member of the mental health team that may comprise a psychiatrist psychologist or social worker. In some instances the clinical nurse specialist will carry out your assessment and treatment. If you're in a crisis, you can contact the NHS 111 helpline for immediate support. If you're already being supported by mental health services, it's a good idea try and contact your usual team first, unless it's out of the normal hours, a weekend or a bank holiday.
The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health detailed plans to establish multidisciplinary mental health teams in the community that are connected to primary care networks. They will improve the quality of care provided to those suffering from a mental health crisis and provide support within their communities and homes instead of in hospitals.
The plan also aimed to provide crisis services to more people by reducing waiting times and allowing more beds. It also proposed to introduce 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 people suffering from an illness of mental health are supported in emergency situations.
Treatment options
The NHS offers a variety of treatment options for people suffering from mental health problems. GPs are often able to treat milder conditions, but more severe issues will require an expert team. These teams work in community and primary healthcare facilities and psychiatric hospitals. There are also safe places where you can seek help if you are feeling in crisis.
Talking therapies are among the most popular forms of treatment for depression and anxiety. These programs, previously known as IAPT (Interactive Assessment and Psychotherapy), have seen their referral numbers increase every year since they were introduced in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan commits to expanding these services to ensure that 1.9 million people can access them in 2023/2024.
Psychiatric medications are another crucial component of treatment. They can alleviate symptoms by changing the way the brain's chemicals work. They can also be used to reduce the effects of other treatments. Your doctor will prescribe the best medicine for you.
A variety of talk therapy treatments are available including group therapy and individual therapy. Some of these can be delivered in person, while others can be done via a remote device. Some patients prefer receiving treatment in person, but that is a personal decision. Mind is one of many charities that offer support groups and courses. The website contains a wealth 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 about mental health issues.
While the NHS is advancing its mental health care, it still struggles to meet the demands. There are 54 mental health trusts across the UK, and most of they receive funding from clinical commissioning organizations to deliver their service. They are usually located in a specific region however, they can also be commissioned to provide national services.
The lack of resources is a major problem. There are concerns over the quality and shortage of nurses and psychiatrists. The NHS is trying to improve the quality of care by providing more training and developing new ways of working. It also introduces more secure and efficient methods to treat people in crisis, such as mobile crisis teams and secure places.
Helping you
Since the NHS launched 70 years ago there have been a lot of positive developments for people suffering from mental health problems. The options for treatment have grown and social barriers have been taken down. But there's still a lot to do.
People who are suffering from mental illness need to receive the help they require quickly and easily. That's why the NHS is putting in the effort to improve services for people who require these services. We will ensure that no acute hospital is without the mental health liaison service in A&E departments and inpatient wards by 2020/21, and that 70% of these services will be in line with the "core 24" standard by 2023/24, working towards a 100% coverage rate after that.
We will also expand services for those who require them in the community, which includes psychotherapy, in order to provide hundreds of thousands of people suffering from severe or common mental health conditions the support they require. We will continue to work on our national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies program (IAPT), so that more people suffering from mental health problems can be seen more quickly by trained therapists.
The NHS offers free, confidential helplines to anyone struggling with a mental health issue. Samaritans Mind and Rethink are some of the helplines available. These helplines are operated entirely by volunteers who provide the opportunity to talk in a secure environment or provide advice and information on how to manage your mental health issues.
There are also local organizations that can offer support and guidance to people who suffer from mental health issues. They can provide self-help guides, coping strategies and activities to try. A lot of these organizations provide support groups in person for those who prefer this method.
The University's Open Door Team offers a drop-in counseling service for students who are experiencing stress or depression. There is also the Nightline student counselling service that provides confidential listening and support from skilled volunteers, or details about other services. Charities like Mind and Rethink can provide a wealth of information and support, both on the internet and in local groups. They can provide a variety of activities and courses ranging including mindfulness classes to art classes, which are beneficial for those with mental health issues.
Making a referral
Mental health services are under pressure and GPs must make difficult decisions about which specialist services to refer their patients to. The GP will take a patient's medical history into account and then refer them to a service they think could be able to assist. They may send a referral to an NHS trust, or an independent provider.
A mental health specialist will then review the referral and decide whether it's appropriate or not. If the specialist isn't pleased with the referral, they'll contact the GP to discuss their decision and explain the reason. They may also ask the GP to provide more information or to alter the referral.
Requests for a local Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) may be made via the NHS e-Referral Service (e-RS). The system allows GPs and other health professionals to refer people to either a mental health clinical assessment service or directly to an outpatient appointment. However there are some exceptions. CMHTs provide both options, and the system can't be used for every kind of mental health referral.
A doctor may decide to refer a person to a specialized community mental health service (CMT). They are typically run by a major local healthcare organisation or a hospital. CMTs are an excellent option for those who require to visit a psychologist or psychiatrist but don't require inpatient treatment. They also offer an early intervention service where a psychiatrist works with the therapist to help a person overcome a crisis or improve their life quality.
One of the biggest challenges faced by a CMT is to ensure that all referrals are made within an appropriate time frame. One of the challenges is that a large number of referrals are considered urgent, despite the fact that they may not be. This can result in over-working and delays for people who aren't in need.
To tackle this issue, a few CMHTs have tried to establish more uniform standards for what constitutes an urgent referral. This has been accomplished through the use of a standardised referral proforma that requires a referrer determine if the case is urgent. The form has a checkbox that the referrer is able to tick when the request is urgent.