Mental Health Services on the NHS
The NHS has responded to the rising number of mental health problems by offering services. This includes:
The Long Term Plan has made the commitment to increase the amount of money spent on mental health services faster than the NHS budget overall. This will include specialist work in suicide prevention.
Get help
One out of four of us will experience a mental health problem at some time in our lives. The good news is that there are a variety of ways to seek help, and most of us will recover over time. It's important to understand the types of help available and who can offer it.
You can get help from your physician or the local health center, or a mental health team in your community. These teams are made up of nurses, occupational therapists, psychotherapists and speech and language therapists who work with those who utilize the service. Based on the kind of help you require you could receive individual or group therapy.
You will be asked to fill out a form from your GP so they can refer you to a mental health professional in the community. They will also talk with you about the type of assistance you require. Then, you will be viewed by a member of the mental health team, which could include a psychiatrist, psychologist or social worker. In certain instances, a clinical nurse specialist will conduct your assessment and treatment. If you're in an emergency, you can call the NHS 111 helpline for immediate assistance. If you're already supported by mental health services, it's a good idea to contact your regular team first, unless it's out of core hours, the weekend or a bank holiday.
The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health outlined plans to create more multidisciplinary, place-based community 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 will provide assistance to patients within their communities and at home rather than in hospitals.
The plan also aimed to make crisis services more accessible 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 make sure that people experiencing a mental crisis are assisted in emergency situations.
Treatment options
The NHS provides a wide range of treatment options for mental health issues. Less severe disorders are often treated by GPs, while more severe conditions require specialists. These teams operate across both community and primary mental health services, and also mental health hospitals. You can also seek assistance in a secure space when you are in a crisis.
Talking therapies are one of the most common types of treatment for anxiety and depression. These programs, formerly known as IAPT (Interactive Assessment and Psychotherapy) have seen their numbers of clients increase each year since they were launched in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan commits to expanding these services to ensure that 1.9 million people can access them in 2023/2024.
The use of psychiatric medication is also an important component of treatment. They can alleviate symptoms by altering the way the brain's chemicals function. They can also be used to reduce the side effects of other treatments. Your doctor will prescribe the right medication for you.
There are many different types of talk therapy, including individual therapy and group therapy. Some of these therapies can be offered in person, while other are available via remote access. Some patients prefer treatment in person, but this is a personal choice. There are also a lot of charities which offer classes and support groups like Mind. Their website is full of reliable information, but you must be aware that there's a lot of misleading or false information available on the internet regarding mental health issues.
While the NHS is working to improve its mental health services but it's still struggling to keep up with demand. In the UK there are 54 mental trusts. book a mental health assessment receive the majority of funding for their services from clinical commissioning groups. They are typically located in a particular region however, they can also be commissioned to deliver national services.
The main issue is the lack of resources to meet rising demand. There are concerns over the quality and shortage of psychiatrists and nurses. The NHS is trying to improve these services by providing more training and introducing new methods of working. It is also introducing more secure and efficient methods to assist people in need including mobile crisis teams, as well as safe areas.
Supporting you
Since the NHS was launched 70 years ago there have been a lot of positive changes for people with mental health problems. The treatment options have increased and social barriers have been taken down. However, there is still much to be done.
Patients who are experiencing mental health problems require the ability to access the help they need quickly and easily. The NHS is working to improve its services to ensure that those who need them can get assistance. We will ensure that no acute hospital is without a mental health liaison in A&E departments and wards for inpatients by 2020/21. 70% of these services will be in line with the 'core 24' standard by 2023/24. We will work towards 100% coverage thereafter.
We will also extend services for people who need them in the community, including psychotherapy, in order to provide hundreds of thousands more patients with severe or common mental health conditions the support they need. We will continue to work on the national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme so that more people can be treated by trained therapists quicker.
The NHS offers confidential, no-cost helplines to anyone struggling with mental health issues. They include the Samaritans, Mind and Rethink. These helplines are operated entirely by volunteers who offer an environment where you can talk to someone in a safe manner or provide advice and information on how to manage your mental health issues.
There are a variety of local organizations that provide assistance and support to those who suffer from mental health issues. These include self-help guides, coping strategies and activities to try. Many of these organizations provide support groups in person to those who would prefer it.
The University's Open Door Team offers a drop-in counseling service for students struggling or stressed. Nightline is a student counseling service that offers private listening, support and information from knowledgeable volunteers. Charities like Mind and Rethink can provide many sources of information and support both online and in local groups. They also provide many courses and activities, from mindfulness to art groups, which may be useful for people who suffer from mental health issues.
Referring book a mental health assessment to you
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 assist. They may send a referral to an NHS trust or an independent provider.
A mental health professional will assess the referral to determine if it is appropriate or not. If the specialist isn't satisfied with the referral, they will contact the GP and explain why. They may request the GP to modify the referral or request more details.
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 pre-mental health assessment or directly to an outpatient appointment. However there are some exceptions. CMHTs provide both options, and the system cannot be used for every kind of mental health referral.
A GP may refer a patient to a community mental health specialist service (CMT). These are usually run either by an extensive hospital or a local healthcare organisation. CMTs are an excellent option for those who require to consult a psychologist or psychiatrist but do not require inpatient care. They also provide an early intervention program where a psychiatrist works with a psychotherapist to assist a person overcome a crisis or improve the quality of their lives.
CMTs are faced with the task of making sure that all referrals are made within a reasonable amount of time. One of the challenges is that many referrals are considered urgent, despite the fact that they may not be. This can result in delays and over-working for those who aren't in a crisis.
To address this issue, a few CMHTs have tried to establish more uniform guidelines 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 tick in the event that they believe the referral is urgent.