Mental Health Services on the NHS
There has been a massive increase in people seeking help for mental health issues, and the NHS has responded by providing services. This includes:
The Long Term Plan reaffirmed its commitment to boost investment in mental health services faster than overall NHS budget. This includes the work of a specialist in suicide prevention.
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One of four of us will experience mental health issues at some point in our lives. The good news is that there are plenty of different options to seek assistance and the majority of us recover after a while. It's important to understand what help is available and who can offer it.
You can seek assistance from a variety of sources, including your GP (primary care medical doctor) as well as your local health center or a community mental health team. These teams are comprised of nurses, occupational therapists psychotherapists, psychotherapists, and speech and language therapists who work with the people who utilize the service. You can get individual or group therapy depending on the kind of help you need.
Your doctor will typically require you to fill out a form so that they can refer you to a community mental health team. They will also ask you to specify what type of assistance you require. You will be consulted by a member of the mental team which includes psychiatrist, psychologist or social worker. In certain instances, your assessment and treatment will be carried out by a clinical nurse specialist. You can call the NHS 111 helpline if you are in an emergency. If you're already supported by mental health services, it's a good idea contact your regular team first, unless it's out of normal hours, on a weekend or a bank holiday.
The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health set out 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 provided to those in crisis, and will provide assistance to them in their own homes and communities rather than in hospitals.
The plan also aims to make crisis services accessible by decreasing wait times and allowing more beds. It would also include 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 make sure that people experiencing a mental crisis are helped in times of crisis.
Treatment options
The NHS offers a variety of treatment options to treat mental health conditions. The less severe disorders are typically treated by GPs however more severe conditions require a specialist team. These teams work in primary and community health services for mental health as well as psychiatric hospitals. There are also safe places where you can get help for those who are in a state of crisis.
Talking therapies are among the most common types of treatment for depression and anxiety. Previously known as IAPT the programs have seen referrals increase every year since their introduction in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan commits to expanding these services so that 1.9 million people will be able to use them by 2023/2024.
Psychiatric drugs are a different component of treatment. They can help alleviate symptoms by altering how chemicals in your brain work. They can also help alleviate the side effects of other treatments. Your doctor will prescribe the best medicine for you.
There are many kinds of talk therapy, including group therapy and individual therapy. Some of these are delivered in person, but others can be delivered remotely. Some patients prefer receiving treatment in person, but this is a personal decision. There are a variety of charities that provide support groups and courses like Mind. Their website contains a wealth of information that is reliable, however you should be aware that there is lots of misleading or false information available on the internet regarding mental health issues.
The NHS is advancing the quality of mental health care, but it is 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 service. They typically are located in a particular region however, they can also be commissioned to deliver national services.
The absence of resources is a major problem. There are also concerns over the quality of care, and the shortage of nurses and psychiatrists. The NHS is trying to improve the quality of care by offering more training and introducing new ways of working. It also introduces more efficient and safer methods to help people in crisis, such as mobile crisis teams, as well as safe areas.
Supporting you
Since the NHS was first introduced 70 years ago, there have been positive developments for people suffering from mental health issues. The options for treatment have grown and social barriers have been smashed down. However, there is still much to be done.
People who are experiencing mental health issues should receive the help they require quickly and easily. This is why the NHS is working hard to improve the quality of services for those who need them. We will ensure that every acute hospital is without a mental health liaison in A&E departments and inpatient wards by 2020/21. We will also ensure that 70% of these services will meet the 'core 24' standard by 2023/24. Then we will work towards a 100% coverage rate after that.
We will also enhance community services, including talk therapy, to offer assistance to hundreds of thousands of individuals suffering from mental health conditions regardless of whether they are serious or common. We will continue to develop our national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme (IAPT) in order to ensure that more people with mental health conditions can be seen quicker by trained therapists.
The NHS offers free, confidential helplines to anyone struggling with a mental health issue. Samaritans Mind and Rethink are some of the helplines available. These helplines are run by trained volunteers. They provide an environment where you can talk in a safe manner or provide advice and information on how to deal with your mental health concerns.
Additionally, there are a number of local organisations which can provide assistance and support for people with mental health problems. They can provide self-help guides, strategies for coping and activities to try. Many of these organisations also provide support groups in person for those who prefer this method.
For students, there is the University's Open Door Team which offers an opportunity to consult with a counsellor at any time for those who feel depressed or stressed. There's also the Nightline student counselling service, which provides confidential listening and support from knowledgeable volunteers, or information about other services. Charities like Mind and Rethink are a great source of information and provide support in a variety of ways, including online and through local groups. They can provide a variety of activities and courses ranging including mindfulness classes to art classes that can be beneficial for those suffering from 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 consideration and then refer them to a service they believe can assist. They may send a referral 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 call the GP and explain why. They might also ask the GP to alter the referral or ask for more details.
The ability to refer patients to a local Community Mental Health Team can be made through the NHS e-Referral Service. The system permits GPs and other healthcare professionals to refer patients to either a preliminary mental health clinical assessment service or directly to an outpatient appointment. However, not all CMHTs offer both options and the system cannot be used for every kind of mental health referral.
A GP may also refer patients to a community mental health specialist service (CMT). These are usually run either by a large hospital or local health care organization. CMTs are a good choice for those who have to see a psychiatrist or psychologist, but do not require inpatient care. They also offer an early intervention service where a psychiatrist collaborates with a counselor to help someone overcome a crisis or improve their quality of life.
CMTs face the challenge of making sure that all referrals are received within a reasonable time. Many referrals are considered urgent, even though they might not be. This can result in over-working and delays for people who aren't in need.
To combat this problem, some CMHTs have attempted to establish more uniform standards for what constitutes an urgent referral. This was accomplished by using a standardised form which asks the referrer to indicate if the situation is urgent. The form includes a box that the referrer can tick when they believe that the referral is urgent.