Mental Health Services on the NHS
There has been a massive rise in people seeking help 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 overall NHS budget. This will include specialist suicide prevention work.
Need help?
One in four people will be affected by mental illness at one time in their lives. The good news is there are many avenues to seek assistance, and the majority of us will improve with time. It is essential to know what help is available, and who is able to provide it.
You can seek help from your GP or the local health center or a mental health service in your area. These teams are comprised of nurses, occupational therapists, psychotherapists and speech and language therapists who work together with those who utilize the service. Based on the type of help you require you could receive individual or group therapy.
You will be asked to fill out a form from your GP so that they can refer you to a mental health team in the community. They will also speak to you about the kind of assistance you require. You will be seen by members of a mental team, such as psychiatrist, psychologist or social worker. In certain instances a clinical nurse specialist will carry out your assessment and treatment. If you are experiencing a crisis, you can call the NHS 111 helpline for immediate support. If you're already being supported by mental health services, it's best to call your usual team first, unless it's outside of the normal hours, a weekend or on a bank holiday.
The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health detailed plans to establish multidisciplinary, community-based mental health teams that are connected to primary care networks. These teams will improve the quality of the mental health services that is provided to those who are in a crisis, and provide support to those within their communities and at home rather than in hospitals.
The plan also aims to make crisis services more accessible by cutting down wait times and allowing more beds. It also proposed to introduce mental health transport vehicles, and ensure that every ambulance has a mental health liaison nurse in their control rooms to improve the way that people who are having a mental health crisis are supported in emergency situations.
Treatment options
The NHS offers a range of treatment options for mental health conditions. The less severe disorders are typically treated by GPs and more severe conditions require specialists. These teams work in community and primary health services for mental health as well as psychiatric hospitals. You can also seek help in a secure space when you are in a crisis.
Talking therapies for depression and anxiety are among the main kinds of treatment. Previously referred to as IAPT, these programs have seen the number of people who seek them increase each year since their launch in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan commits to expanding these services so that 1.9 million people will be able to use them in 2023/2024.
Psychiatric medications are another crucial aspect of treatment. They can help alleviate symptoms by changing the way the brain's chemicals work. They can also help lessen the negative effects of other treatments. Your doctor will recommend the right medication for you.
A wide variety of talking therapy treatments are available including group therapy and individual therapy. Some of these are delivered in person, while others are available via a remote device. Some patients prefer face-to face treatment, but it's a matter of choice. Mind is one of the charities that offer support groups and classes. The website 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.
While the NHS is advancing its mental health care, it still struggles 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 service. They typically are located in a specific area however, they may be commissioned to offer national services.
A key issue is the lack of resources to meet rising demand. There are concerns over the quality and shortage of psychiatrists and nurses. The NHS is working to improve these services by delivering more training and introducing new methods of working. It also offers more secure and efficient methods to treat people who are in crisis. This includes mobile crisis teams and secure spaces.
We are here to help you
Since the NHS was launched 70 years ago there have been a lot of positive changes for people with mental health issues. Treatment options have gotten more diverse and social barriers are being broken down. But there is still more to be done.
People who are experiencing mental illness need to get the help they need quickly and easily. This is why the NHS is striving to improve services for people who need them. We will ensure that every acute hospital does not have a mental health liaison service in A&E departments and wards for inpatients by 2020/21. We will also ensure that 70 percent of these services will be in line with the 'core 24' standard by 2023/24, working towards 100% coverage thereafter.
We will also expand services for those who require them in the community, which includes therapy for talking, which will give thousands of more patients with severe or common mental health conditions the support they require. We will continue to work on our national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme (IAPT) to ensure that more people with mental health conditions can be seen more quickly by qualified therapists.
mental health assessments for adults provides free, confidential helplines for anyone who is struggling with a mental health issue. These include the Samaritans, Mind and Rethink. These helplines are run by volunteers who provide a safe place to talk or provide advice and information on how to deal your mental health issues.
Additionally, there are a number of local organisations which can provide support and guidance to those with mental health issues. These include self-help guides, coping strategies, and activities to try. Many of these organizations also offer support groups that meet face-to-face for those who prefer this method.
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 provides confidential listening as well as 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 offer a variety of courses and activities, from mindfulness to art classes which can be helpful for those living with mental health issues.
Referring someone to you
With mental health services under pressure, GPs are having to make difficult decisions about which specialist services they can refer patients to. The doctor will take the patient's medical history into consideration and then recommend them to a service they believe will be able to help. They may send a referral to an NHS trust or an independent service.
A mental health professional will examine the referral to determine if the referral is appropriate or not. If the specialist isn't happy with the referral, they'll call the GP and explain the reasons. They can also request the GP for more details or to change the referral.
Requests for a local Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) can be made through the NHS e-Referral Service (e-RS). The system lets doctors and other healthcare professionals direct patients to a preliminary assessment for mental health or directly to an appointment. Not all CMHTs offer both options and the system can't be used for all types of mental health referrals.
A doctor may also refer patients to a community mental health specialist service (CMT). They are typically run by a large local healthcare organization or a hospital. CMTs can be a good option for people who wish to see an experienced psychologist or psychiatrist, but do not require inpatient treatment. They can also offer an early intervention program where psychiatrists collaborate with psychotherapist to help someone overcome a crisis or improve the quality of their life.
CMTs are faced with the task of making sure that all referrals are made within a reasonable time frame. Many referrals are considered urgent, even though they might not be. This can cause patients who aren't in a crisis to be overwhelmed and suffer delays.
To combat this problem, a few CMHTs have tried to establish more uniform standards for what constitutes an urgent referral. This is being achieved through the use of the standardised referral forma that requires a referrer to consider whether the case is urgent. The proforma includes a box for the referrer to tick in the event that they believe the referral is urgent.