Mental Health Services on the NHS
The NHS has responded to the rise in mental health problems by offering services. This includes:
The Long Term Plan has made an unrepeatable commitment to increase the amount of money spent on mental health services faster than the NHS budget in general. This will include specialist work in suicide prevention.
Get help
One in four people will suffer from a mental illness at some time in their lives. The good news is that there are plenty of different options to seek help, and most people recover with time. It's important to understand the types of help available and who can offer it.
You can seek help from your physician or your local health center or a mental health service in your community. These teams consist of occupational and nurse psychotherapists, as well as speech therapists. They collaborate with patients who require their services. Depending on the type of assistance you require you could receive individual or group therapy.
Your doctor will typically request you to fill out an application form so that they can refer you to a local mental health team. They will also ask what kind of support you need. You will be assessed by members of an interdisciplinary team of mental health professionals which includes psychologist, psychiatrist or social worker. In some cases, a clinical nurse specialist will carry out your assessment and treatment. You can call the NHS 111 helpline when you're in an emergency. If you're already being supported by mental health services it's best to call your usual team first, unless it's outside of core hours, the weekend or on a bank holiday.
The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health included plans to establish more multidisciplinary, community-based, place-based mental health teams that have links to primary care networks. These teams will enhance the quality of the mental health services delivered to people experiencing a crisis, and offer support to those in their homes and community instead of in hospitals.
The plan also aimed to provide crisis services to more people by reducing waiting times and opening more beds. It also proposes a mental transport vehicle and ensure that all ambulances are equipped with an individual who is a mental liaison nurse in the control room to ensure that people experiencing a mental crisis are helped in times of crisis.
Treatment options
The NHS offers a variety of treatment options for mental health conditions. Less severe disorders are often treated by GPs and more severe conditions require specialists. These teams operate across primary and community mental health services and mental health hospitals. You can also seek help in a safe space when you are in a crisis.
Talking therapies are one of the most common types of treatment for anxiety and depression. These programs, previously known as IAPT (Interactive Assessment and Psychotherapy), have seen their number of referrals increase every year since they were launched in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan has committed to expanding these programs to 1.9 million people by 2023/2024.
Psychiatric medications are another crucial component of treatment. They can improve symptoms by changing the way the brain's chemicals work. They can also be used to ease side effects of other treatments. Your doctor will suggest a medicine that is right for you.
There are many different types of talk therapies, such as individual therapy and group therapy. Some of them are offered in person, whereas others can be delivered remotely. Some patients prefer face-to-face treatment, but it is an individual choice. Mind is one of the organizations that offer support groups and classes. The website contains a wealth of information that is reliable 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.
The NHS is working to improve the quality of mental health care, but it's struggling to meet the demands. In the UK there are 54 mental trusts. They receive the majority of funding for their services from the clinical commissioning group. They are typically located in a specific area however, they can also be contracted to provide national services.
The absence of resources is a major issue. There are also concerns over 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 safer and more effective methods of treating those who are in crisis. These include mobile crisis teams and secure space.
Helping you
Since the NHS was launched 70 years ago, there have been positive developments for those suffering from mental health issues. Treatment options have expanded and social barriers are being broken down. But there is still more to do.
People who are experiencing mental health issues should receive the assistance they require quickly and easily. This is why the NHS is striving to improve the quality of services for those who need them. By 2020/21 we will ensure that all acute hospitals have a mental health liaison service that is available in A&E and on wards for inpatients, and that 70% will meet the standard of 24 by 2023/24. We will then strive to achieve 100% coverage.
We will also expand community services, including talking therapy, to offer assistance to hundreds of thousands of people suffering from mental health problems regardless of whether they are common or severe. We will continue to develop the national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) program so that more people can be seen by qualified therapists, faster.
The NHS offers confidential, no-cost assistance to anyone suffering from mental health issues. They include the Samaritans, Mind and Rethink. These helplines are run by trained volunteers. They provide an environment where you can talk in a safe manner or provide information and advice on how to tackle your mental health issues.
Additionally to that, there are a lot of local organizations that can provide assistance and support for those suffering from mental health issues. Self-help guides, coping strategies and activities can be included. Many of these organizations offer face-toface support groups for 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 private ptsd assessment I Am Psychiatry counselling service, which provides confidential listening and support from experienced volunteers, as well as information on other services. Charities like Mind and Rethink can provide a wealth of information and support both on the internet and in local groups. They offer a variety of classes and activities, from mindfulness to art classes, which are beneficial for those with mental health issues.
Making a referral
With mental health services under pressure, doctors are forced to make difficult choices about what specialist services they should refer patients to. The GP will consider the medical history of the patient and refer them to services they believe will be able to help. 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 will call the GP and explain the reasons. They might also ask the GP to alter the referral or request more details.
The ability to refer patients to a local Community Mental Health Team can be made using the NHS e-Referral Service. The system allows doctors and other healthcare professionals to send patients to either a preliminary clinical assessment service for mental health or directly to an appointment. However, not all CMHTs offer both options and the system cannot be used for every type of mental health referral.
A GP may decide to refer a patient to a specialist community mental health service (CMT). They are typically run by a large hospital or local healthcare organization. CMTs are a good choice for those who need to see a psychiatrist or psychologist but do not require inpatient treatment. They can also provide an early intervention service where a psychiatrist works with a therapy therapist to help someone overcome a crisis or improve the quality of their life.
One of the biggest challenges faced by CMTs CMT is to ensure that all referrals are assigned within the proper time frame. Many referrals are considered urgent even though they may not be. This can lead people who aren't in a crisis to be overwhelmed and suffer delays.
To tackle this issue, certain CMHTs are working to establish more uniform standards for what constitutes an urgent referral. This is being achieved by using an established referral form that requires a referrer to consider whether the case is urgent. The form has a checkbox for the referrer to check when they believe the referral is urgent.