Mental Health Services on the NHS
There has been a huge increase 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 boost investment in mental health services more quickly than the overall NHS budget. This will include specialized work in suicide prevention.
Helping yourself
One of four people will be affected by mental illness at some time in their lives. The good news is that there are a variety of different ways to get help, and most people recover with time. But it's important to know what assistance is available, and who can offer it.
You can seek assistance from your GP, your local health center, or a mental health team within your local area. These teams are made up of nurses, occupational therapists, psychotherapists and speech and language therapists who work with the people who utilize the service. You may receive individual or group therapy, based on the type of assistance you require.
Your GP will typically ask you to fill in the form so that they can send you a referral to a local mental health team. They will also talk with you about what kind of assistance you require. You will be assessed by an individual from the mental team which includes psychiatrist, psychologist or social worker. In some instances your evaluation and treatment will be conducted by a clinical nurse specialist. If you're in crisis, contact the NHS 111 helpline for urgent assistance. If you're already supported by mental health services, it's a good idea to call your usual team first unless it's out of the normal hours, a weekend or on a bank holiday.
The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health outlined plans to create more multidisciplinary, community-based, place-based mental health teams with links to primary care networks. These will help to improve the quality of care that is given to those suffering from a mental health crisis and provide support in their homes and communities, rather than in hospital.
The plan aims to make emergency services available by cutting down wait times and allowing more beds. It also proposes the introduction of mental health transport vehicles and ensure that every ambulance has 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 for mental health problems. Less severe disorders are often treated by GPs however more severe conditions require an expert team. These teams operate in primary and community health services for mental health, as well psychiatric hospital. You can also seek assistance in a secure space when you are in a crisis.
Talking treatments for anxiety and depression are one of the main types of treatment. These programs, previously known as IAPT (Interactive Assessment and Psychotherapy) have seen their numbers of clients 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 medicines are also a crucial element of treatment. They can improve symptoms through changing the way chemicals work in your brain. They can be used to minimize the adverse effects of other treatments. Your doctor will prescribe the right medication for you.
A variety of talk therapy treatments are available including group therapy and individual therapy. Some of these are delivered in person, whereas others are available remotely. Some patients prefer treatment in person, but that is a personal preference. Mind is one of many organizations that offer support groups and courses. Their website is full of information that is reliable, however you must be aware that there is plenty of misleading or false information on the internet about mental health issues.
While the NHS is advancing its mental health care however, it is still struggling to cope with demand. In the UK there are 54 mental trusts. The majority of them receive funding for their services from the clinical commissioning groups. They typically are located in a specific area, but can be commissioned to deliver national services.
The main issue is the lack of resources to meet the demands of the rising population. There are also concerns about the quality of care and a shortage of psychiatrists and nurses. The NHS is working to improve these services by offering more training and introducing new methods of working. It also introduces more secure and efficient methods of treating people who are in crisis. This includes mobile crisis teams and safe space.
Supporting you
Since the NHS was first introduced 70 years ago there have been positive developments for those with mental health issues. The treatment options have increased and social barriers have been broken down. But there's still a lot to be done.
People who are suffering from mental health issues need to be able to access the help they need quickly and easily. The NHS is striving to improve the quality of services to ensure that those who need them are able to access assistance. We will ensure that every acute hospital does not have a mental health liaison service in A&E departments and inpatient wards by 2020/21. 70% of these services will be more info in line with the 'core 24' standard by 2023/24. Then we will work towards a 100% coverage rate after that.
We will also extend services for people who require them in the community, such as psychotherapy, in order to provide hundreds of thousands of patients with severe or common mental health issues the help they need. We will continue to work on our national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies program (IAPT), so that more people with mental health problems can be seen quicker by therapists who are qualified.
The NHS offers free, confidential helplines for anyone struggling with mental health issues. They include the Samaritans, Mind and Rethink. These helplines are run by trained volunteers. They offer the opportunity to talk with someone in a secure environment or provide information and advice on how to deal with your mental health issues.
In addition there are a variety of local organisations which can provide support and guidance to people with mental health problems. They can provide self-help guides, coping strategies and activities to try. Many of these organisations offer face-toface support groups to those who prefer it.
The University's Open Door Team offers a drop-in counseling service for students who are feeling down or stressed. There is also the Nightline student counselling service which offers confidential listening and support from experienced volunteers, or details about other services. Charities such more info as Mind and Rethink are a excellent source of information and provide support in various forms that include online and through local groups. They offer a variety of courses and activities from mindfulness to art classes that are beneficial for those with mental health issues.
Referring someone to you
With mental health services under pressure, doctors are forced to make difficult decisions regarding which specialist services they can refer patients to. The doctor will take a patient's medical history into account and then refer them to a specialist they think will be able to help. They might send a referral to an NHS trust or an independent service.
A mental health specialist will then review the referral and decide whether it's appropriate or not. If the specialist isn't happy with the referral they will call the GP to discuss their decision and explain the reason. They might also ask the GP to modify the referral or request more details.
Requests for a local Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) can be made through the NHS e-Referral Service (e-RS). The system allows GPs and other health professionals to refer people to either a pre-mental health clinical assessment 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 might decide to refer a person to an expert community mental health service (CMT). These are usually run by a large local health organization or a hospital. CMTs are a great alternative for those looking to see an experienced psychiatrist or psychologist but do not require inpatient treatment. They also offer an early intervention service where a psychiatrist collaborates with the psychotherapist to help a patient overcome a crisis or increase their quality of life.
CMTs have the responsibility of ensuring that all referrals are made website within a reasonable amount of time. Many referrals are deemed urgent even though they may not be. This can lead to delays and click here over-working for those who are not in crisis.
To address this issue, certain CMHTs are working to establish more consistent standards for what is an urgent referral. This has been accomplished through the use of a standardised referral proforma check here that requires a referrer to decide if the situation is urgent. The form has a checkbox that the referrer can tick to indicate if the referral is urgent.