Mental Health Services on the NHS
The NHS has responded to the increase in mental health issues by providing services. This includes:
The Long Term Plan has made the commitment to increase the amount of money spent on mental health services faster than the NHS budget overall. This will include specialized work in suicide prevention.
Get assistance
One out of four people will be affected by mental illness at one point during their lives. The good news is that there are many avenues to seek assistance, and the majority of us will be able to recover with time. It's important to understand what help is available and who can offer it.
You can seek help from a variety of places such as your GP (primary medical doctor for primary care), your local health center or a community mental health team. These teams consist of nurses, occupational and psychotherapists, as well as speech therapists. They work with the clients who seek their services. Depending on the type of help you require you could receive individual or group therapy.
Your doctor will typically request you to fill out an application form to send you a referral to a local mental health team. They will also ask you to specify what kind of support you need. Then, you will be viewed by a member of the mental health team, which could include a psychiatrist, social worker or psychologist. In certain instances your evaluation and treatment will be conducted by a specialist in clinical nursing. If private ocd assessment experiencing a crisis, 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 is outside of hours, or on a weekend, or a bank holiday.
The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health included plans to establish more multidisciplinary, community-based, place-based mental health teams, with connections to primary care networks. These teams will enhance the quality of mental health care delivered to people experiencing a crisis, and will provide assistance to those in their homes and community rather than in hospitals.
The plan also aims at making emergency services available by reducing wait times and opening up more beds. It also proposes a mental transport vehicle and ensure that all ambulances are stocked with an individual who is a mental liaison nurse in the control room to make sure that patients who are suffering from mental illness are helped in times of crisis.
Treatment options
The NHS offers a variety of treatment options for mental health issues. GPs typically have the ability to treat milder conditions, but more severe illnesses will require an expert team. These teams work across community and primary mental health services, and also psychiatric hospitals. There are also safe spaces where you can seek assistance if you are feeling in a crisis.
Talking therapies for depression and anxiety are among the most popular treatments. These programs, previously referred to as IAPT (Interactive Assessment and Psychotherapy), have seen their numbers of clients increase every year since they were first introduced in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan commits to expanding these programs so that 1.9 million people can access them in 2023/2024.
Psychiatric medications are another crucial aspect of treatment. They can improve symptoms by altering how the brain's chemicals work. They can be used to reduce the side effects of other treatments. Your doctor will prescribe the right medication for you.
A wide variety of talking therapy options are available, including group therapy and individual therapy. Some of these are delivered in person, while others can be done online. Some patients prefer receiving treatment in person, but that is a personal choice. There are a variety of charities that offer classes and support groups like Mind. Their website contains a wealth of reliable information, but you must be aware of the fact that there's a lot of false or misleading information on the internet about mental health issues.
While the NHS is working to improve its mental health services however, it is still struggling to keep up with demand. There are 54 mental health trusts across the UK and the majority of them receive funding from clinical commissioning groups to deliver their services. They are usually located in a particular region, but can be contracted to provide national services.
One of the main issues is the insufficient resources to meet the growing demand. There are also concerns about the quality of care, and a 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 to treat people in crisis including mobile crisis teams and safe spaces.
We are here to help you
Since the NHS was established 70 years ago, there have been positive changes for those suffering from mental health issues. The treatment options have increased and social barriers have been smashed down. But there is still more to do.
Patients who are experiencing mental health problems need to be able to get the help they need quickly and easily. The NHS is working to improve its services to ensure that those in need are able to access assistance. By 2020/21, we will make sure that all acute hospitals have a mental health liaison service both in A&E and on inpatient wards and that 70% will be in compliance with the core 24 standard by 2023/24. Then we will strive for 100% coverage.
We will also enhance services for the community, such as talking therapy, to provide assistance to hundreds of thousands of people with mental health problems, whether they are severe or common. We will continue to develop our national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme (IAPT) in order to ensure that more people suffering from mental health conditions are seen faster by trained therapists.
The NHS offers confidential, free helplines to anyone struggling with mental health issues. These include the Samaritans, Mind and Rethink. These helplines are run by trained volunteers and provide a safe space to talk, or offer guidance and information on how to manage your mental health issues.
There are a variety of local organisations that can provide help and advice to those with mental health issues. Self-help guides, coping techniques and other activities are available. Many of these organisations also offer support groups that meet face-to-face for those who prefer this option.
The University's Open Door Team offers a drop-in counseling service for students feeling down or stressed. Nightline is a student counseling service that offers confidential listening assistance, information and support from knowledgeable volunteers. Charities like Mind and Rethink are a great source of information and offer support in many forms that include online and through local groups. They also offer a variety of classes and activities, from mindfulness to art groups which can be helpful for people who suffer from mental health problems.
Referring someone to you
With mental health services under pressure, GPs have to make difficult decisions regarding what specialist services they should refer patients to. The doctor will take into consideration the medical history of the patient and refer them to services they believe can assist. They can refer a patient either to an NHS trust, or an independent provider.
A mental health specialist will examine the referral to determine if the referral is appropriate or not. If the specialist isn't happy with the referral, they'll contact the GP and explain their reasons. They might request the GP to change the referral or request more information.
Referrals to the local Community Mental Health Team can be made using the NHS e-Referral Service. The system allows GPs as well as other health professionals to refer people to either a mental health clinical assessment service or directly to an outpatient appointment. Not all CMHTs offer both options, and the system cannot be used for all kinds of mental health referrals.
A GP may refer a patient to a community mental health specialist service (CMT). They are usually managed by an extensive hospital or a local health care organization. CMTs can be a good option for people who wish to consult with a seasoned psychologist or psychiatrist but don't require inpatient care. They can also provide an early intervention service in which psychiatrists collaborate with psychotherapist to assist someone in overcoming a crisis or improve the quality of their lives.
CMTs are faced with the task of making sure that all referrals are made within a reasonable amount of time. Many referrals are considered urgent even though they may not be. This can result in over-working and delays for people who aren't in a crisis.
To address this issue certain CMHTs are working to establish more consistent guidelines for what is considered an urgent referral. This was achieved through an established form that asks the referrer if they believe the case is urgent. The proforma includes a box for the referrer to check when they believe the referral is urgent.