An Easy-To-Follow Guide To Mental Health Services NHS
Mental Health Services on the NHS
There has been an enormous 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 invest more in mental health services more quickly than overall NHS budget. This will include specialist work in suicide prevention.
Need help?
One of four of us will have mental health issues at some time in our lives. The good news is that there are a variety of different ways to get assistance and the majority of us recover with time. It is important to know what help is available and who can offer it.
You can seek assistance from your GP or the local health center or mental health team within your local area. These teams are comprised of nurses, occupational therapists psychotherapists, psychotherapists and speech and language therapists who work together with people who use the service. Based on the kind of help you need you might be provided with 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 professional in the community. They will also talk with you about the type of help you require. You will then be seen by someone from a mental health team, which could include a psychiatrist, social worker or psychologist. In some cases your evaluation and treatment will be performed by a clinical nurse specialist. You can contact the NHS 111 helpline when you're in a crisis. If you already receive mental health support It is recommended to contact your regular team first, unless out of hours, on a weekend, or a bank holiday.
The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health set out plans to establish more place-based, multidisciplinary community mental health teams with links to primary care networks. They will improve the quality of care that is given to those suffering from a mental health crisis and provide support within their communities and homes, rather than in hospital.
The plan also aims at making crisis services more accessible by cutting down waiting times and opening more beds. It also proposed to introduce mental health transport vehicles, and ensure that all ambulances have an official who is a mental health liaison in their control rooms to ensure that those suffering from mental health issues are helped in times of crisis.
Treatment options
The NHS offers a variety of treatment options for mental health conditions. Disorders that are less severe are usually treated by GPs, while more severe conditions require specialists. These teams work in both community and primary mental healthcare services and psychiatric hospitals. You can also seek assistance in a secure space should you be in a state of crisis.
Talking therapies are among the most popular forms of treatment for depression and anxiety. Previously known as IAPT, these programs have seen the number of people who seek them increase each year since their introduction in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan has committed to expanding these services to 1.9 million people by 2023/2024.
Psychiatric drugs are a different aspect of treatment. They can alleviate symptoms by altering how chemicals in your brain work. They can be used to minimize the adverse effects of other treatments. Your doctor will prescribe the appropriate medicine for you.
A variety of talk therapy options are offered which include group therapy as well as individual therapy. Some of these therapies can be offered in person, while other can be done remotely. Some patients prefer receiving treatment in person, but this is a personal preference. There are also a number of charities which offer support groups and classes, such as Mind. The site is full of information that is trustworthy however, be aware of the fact that there are many false or misleading statements that are posted on the internet concerning mental health issues.
While the NHS is working to improve its mental health services but it's still struggling to cope with demand. In the UK, there are 54 mental trusts. Most of them receive funding for their services from the clinical commissioning groups. They usually are located in a specific region, but they can be commissioned to provide national services.
One of the main issues is the lack of resources to meet the growing demand. There are also concerns over the quality of care and there is a shortage of nurses and psychiatrists. The NHS is striving to improve its services by introducing new ways of work and providing more training. It is also introducing safer and more effective ways to assist people in need like mobile crisis teams and safe areas.
We are here to help you
Since the NHS was launched 70 years ago, there have been many positive developments for those suffering from mental health issues. Treatment options have gotten more diverse and social barriers are breaking down. But there's still a lot to be done.
People experiencing a mental health crisis must be able to get the assistance they require quickly and easily. That's why the NHS is putting in the effort to improve services for people who require these services. By 2020/21, we will make sure that all acute hospitals have a mental health liaison service both in A&E and on wards for inpatients and that 70% of them will meet the standard of 24 by 2023/24. Then we will strive for 100% coverage.
We will also increase services for people who need them in the community, which includes talking therapies, to give hundreds of thousands more people suffering from severe or common mental health conditions the assistance they need. We will continue to develop the national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme so that more people are seen by qualified therapists, more quickly.
The NHS offers free, confidential helplines for anyone suffering from mental health issues. These include the Samaritans, Mind and Rethink. These helplines are run by volunteers who provide a safe place to talk or offer advice and guidance on how to deal your mental health issues.
Additionally to that, there are a lot of local organizations that can provide support and guidance to people with mental health problems. These include self-help guides, coping strategies, and activities to try. Many of these organisations offer support groups that meet face-to-face for those who prefer it.
For students, there is the University's Open Door Team which offers the opportunity to visit a counselling center for those who are feeling low or stressed. Nightline is a student counseling service that offers private listening assistance, information and support from experienced volunteers. Charities such as Mind and Rethink are a excellent source of information. They can offer support in many forms that include online and through local groups. They can provide a variety of classes and activities, including mindfulness classes to art classes that are useful for people with mental health issues.
Making a referral
Mental health services are under strain and GPs have to make difficult decisions about the best specialist services to refer their patients to. The doctor will take the patient's medical history into account and then refer them to a service they think could be able to assist. They may refer a patient to an NHS trust or an independent service.
A mental health specialist will then evaluate the referral and decide if it's appropriate or not. If book a mental health assessment isn't pleased with the referral, they'll contact the GP to discuss their decision and explain the reason. They may request the GP to modify the referral or request 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 lets doctors and other healthcare professionals to refer patients to either an initial clinical assessment service for mental health or directly to an appointment. Not all CMHTs provide both options, and the system can't be used for all kinds of mental health referrals.
A doctor may refer a patient to a community mental health specialist service (CMT). They are typically operated by a large local healthcare organization or hospital. CMTs are a great alternative for those looking to consult a qualified psychologist or psychiatrist but do not require inpatient treatment. They can also provide an early intervention service where a psychiatrist works with a therapist in order to help someone overcome a crisis or improve the quality of their lives.
CMTs face the challenge of ensuring that all referrals are made within a reasonable time. One of the issues is that a lot of referrals are deemed urgent, despite the fact that they may not be. This can lead to over-working and delays for people who aren't in a crisis.
To combat this problem, a few CMHTs have tried to establish more uniform standards for what constitutes a referral urgent. This has been accomplished through the use of the standardised referral forma that requires a referrer to consider whether the case is urgent. The form has a checkbox that the referrer can tick in the event that they believe the referral is urgent.