Mental Health Services on the NHS
The NHS has responded to the rise in mental health issues by providing services. This includes:
The Long Term Plan reaffirmed its commitment to invest more in mental health services faster than overall NHS budget. This will include specialized work in suicide prevention.
assess mental health ?
One in four of us will experience a mental health problem at some point in our lives. The good news is there are many ways to get help, and many of us will recover with time. But it's important to know what help is available, and who can offer it.
You can seek assistance from a variety places like your doctor (primary medical doctor for primary care) or your local health centre, or a community mental health team. These teams consist of nurses, occupational and psychotherapists and speech therapists. They collaborate with patients who require their services. Based on the type of help you need, you may be offered individual or group therapy.
You will be asked to complete a form with your GP so that they can refer you to a mental health team in the community. They will also ask you to specify what type of assistance you require. mental health diagnostic assessment will then be examined by someone from a mental health team, which may comprise a psychiatrist social worker or psychologist. In certain instances a clinical nurse specialist will conduct your assessment and treatment. You can contact the NHS 111 helpline when you're in crisis. If you're already being supported by mental health services, it's a good idea to contact your regular 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 enhance the quality of the care provided to those in crisis, and will provide assistance to them in their own homes and communities rather than in hospitals.
The plan aims to make emergency services available 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 an illness of mental health are supported in emergency situations.
Treatment options
The NHS offers a range of treatment options to treat mental health conditions. Less severe disorders are often treated by GPs, while more serious disorders require specialists. These teams are located in community and primary health services for mental health as well as psychiatric hospitals. There are also safe spaces where you can seek help when you're in a crisis.
Talking therapies are one of the most commonly used forms of treatment for anxiety and depression. Previously known as IAPT the programs have seen the number of people who seek them increase every year since their launch in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan commits to expanding these services to ensure that 1.9 million people will be able to access them in 2023/2024.
Psychiatric medications are another crucial component of treatment. They can improve symptoms by changing the way the brain's chemicals function. They can also help alleviate the side effects of other treatments. Your doctor will recommend the best medication for you.
A wide range of talking therapy options are offered, including group therapy and individual therapy. Some of these therapies are offered in person, while other are available remotely. Some patients prefer face-to face treatment, but it is a matter of choice. There are a variety of charities that provide support groups and classes, such as Mind. The site contains a wealth of reliable information, but be aware that there are many false or misleading statements on the internet about mental health issues.
While the NHS is working to improve its mental health services but it's still struggling to meet the demands. There are 54 mental health trusts across the UK and the majority of are funded by clinical commissioning groups to provide their services. They are usually located in a specific area, but can be commissioned to deliver national services.
The lack of resources is a major problem. There are concerns over the quality of care and the shortage of psychiatrists and nurses. The NHS is working to improve the services by introducing new ways of work and delivering more training. It is also introducing more efficient and safer methods to help people in crisis, such as mobile crisis teams and safe spaces.
We are here to help you
Since the NHS launched 70 years ago, there have been many positive developments for people suffering from mental health issues. The treatment options have increased and social barriers have been broken down. But there is more to be done.
People who are experiencing a mental crisis need to receive the help they require quickly and easily. That's why the NHS is putting in the effort to improve the services available to those who require them. We will ensure that every acute hospital is without the mental health liaison service in A&E departments and wards for inpatients by 2020/21. 70 percent of these services will meet the 'core 24' standard by 2023/24. We will work towards 100% coverage thereafter.
We will also expand services for people who require them in the community, such as psychotherapy, in order to provide thousands of more people suffering from severe or common mental health conditions the support they require. We will continue to develop our national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies program (IAPT), so that more people suffering from mental health issues can be seen more quickly by therapists who are qualified.
The NHS offers confidential, free assistance to anyone suffering from mental health issues. These include the Samaritans and Mind and Rethink. These helplines are operated by trained volunteers and provide a safe space to talk, or offer guidance and information on how to deal with your mental health issues.
There are also a number local organizations that can offer help and advice to those with mental health issues. Self-help guides, coping methods and activities can be included. Many of these organisations provide support groups in person for those who prefer it.
For students, there's the University's Open Door Team which offers the opportunity to visit a counselling center for those who are feeling low or stressed. There is also the Nightline student counselling service that offers confidential listening and support from experienced volunteers, or information on other services. Charities like Mind and Rethink are a great source of information and can offer support in many forms that include online and through local groups. They also provide many courses and activities, from mindfulness to art classes, which may be useful for those living with mental health issues.
Referrals
With mental health services under pressure, GPs have to make difficult decisions regarding which specialist services they can refer patients to. The GP will take a patient's medical history into consideration and then refer them to a specialist they believe could be able to assist. They may refer a patient to an NHS trust or an independent provider.
A mental health specialist will then assess the referral and decide whether it's appropriate or not. If the specialist isn't happy with the referral, they'll call the GP to discuss their decision and explain the reason. They may also ask the GP for more details or to change the referral.
Referrals to a local Community Mental Health Team can be made through the NHS e-Referral Service. The system allows GPs and other healthcare professionals to refer people to either a mental health clinical assessment or directly to an appointment with an outpatient. However not all CMHTs offer both options and the system isn't able to be used for every type of mental health referral.
A doctor may decide to refer a person to a specialized community mental health service (CMT). These are usually run by a major local health organization or a hospital. CMTs are a great option for those who have to visit a psychologist or psychiatrist but don't require inpatient care. They can also offer an early intervention service where a psychiatrist works with a therapist in order to help someone overcome an issue or improve the quality of their life.
One of the challenges faced by a CMT is ensuring that all appropriate referrals are allocated within the appropriate timeframe. Many referrals are deemed urgent, even though they might not be. This can cause people 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 guidelines for what constitutes a referral urgent. This has been achieved through the use of the standardised referral forma that requires a referrer to consider whether the case is urgent. The form includes a box that the referrer can tick if the referral is urgent.