Mental Health Services on the NHS
The NHS has responded to the increase in mental health issues by providing services. This includes:
The Long Term Plan has made a renewed commitment to grow investment in mental health services quicker than the NHS budget in general. This includes specialist work in suicide prevention.
Get help
One out of four of us will experience mental health issues at some time in our lives. The good news is that there are a variety of different ways to seek help and most of us recover over time. It's important to understand the types of help available and who can provide it.
You can seek assistance from a variety of places, including your GP (primary medical doctor who treats patients) as well as your local health centre or a community mental health team. These teams are comprised of occupational and nurse psychotherapists, as well as speech therapists. They collaborate with patients who require their services. Based on the kind of assistance you require you might be provided with individual or group therapy.
Your GP will typically ask you to fill in an application form to refer you to a community mental health team. They will also ask you what you require in terms of support. You will then be seen by a member of a mental health team that may include a psychiatrist, social worker or psychologist. In some instances, a clinical nurse specialist will carry out your assessment and treatment. If you are experiencing a crisis, you can call the NHS 111 helpline for urgent support. If you're already being supported by mental health services it's a good idea try and contact your usual team first unless it's out of normal hours, on a weekend or on 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. They will improve the quality of care that is given to those suffering from a mental health crisis. They will also offer support in their homes and communities, rather than in hospital.
The plan also aims to make crisis services more accessible by decreasing wait times and allowing more beds. It would also introduce mental health transport vehicles and make sure that every ambulance has an official who is a mental health liaison in their control rooms to ensure that those suffering from an illness of mental health are helped in times of crisis.
Treatment options
The NHS provides a variety of treatment options to treat mental health problems. GPs are usually able to treat less severe conditions, but more severe issues will require a specialist team. These teams operate across primary and community mental health services, and also mental health hospitals. There are also safe spaces where you can seek assistance when you're in a state of crisis.
Talking therapies are among the most common types of treatment for anxiety and depression. These programs, previously 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 programs so that 1.9 million people will be able to use them by 2023/2024.
The use of psychiatric medication is also a vital part of treatment. They can improve 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 medication for you.
A wide range of talking therapy treatments are available, including group therapy and individual therapy. Some of these can be delivered in person, whereas others are available remotely. Some patients prefer to receive treatment in person, but that is a personal choice. Mind is one of the charities that offer support groups and courses. I Am Psychiatry is full of information that is trustworthy however, be aware that there are a lot of false or misleading claims on the internet regarding mental health issues.
While the NHS is advancing its mental health services but it's still struggling to meet the demands. There are 54 mental health trusts across the UK, and most of them receive funding from clinical commissioning groups to provide their service. They usually are located in a specific area, but they can be commissioned to provide 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 striving to improve its services by introducing new methods of work and delivering more training. It also provides more efficient and safer methods to treat those who are in crisis. This includes mobile crisis teams and secure spaces.
Supporting you
Since the NHS was first introduced 70 years ago, there have been positive developments for people suffering from mental health issues. Treatment options have gotten more diverse and social barriers are being taken down. But there is more to be done.
People who are suffering from mental illness need to receive the help they require quickly and easily. This is why the NHS is putting in the effort to improve services for people who require these services. In 2020/21, we will ensure that all acute hospitals have a mental health liaison service, both in A&E as well as on wards for patients, and that 70% will meet the standard of 24 by 2023/24. Then we will strive to achieve 100 percent coverage.
We will also increase services for people who need them in the community, such as therapy for talking, which will give hundreds of thousands more people with common or severe mental health conditions the assistance they need. We will continue to develop the national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) program to ensure that more people are treated by trained therapists quicker.
The NHS provides confidential, free helplines to those suffering from mental health issues. Samaritans Mind and Rethink are some of the helplines available. These helplines are run 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 concerns.
Additionally there are a variety of local organizations that provide support and guidance to those suffering from mental health issues. Self-help guides, coping strategies and other activities are available. Many of these organisations also provide support groups in person for those who prefer this option.
The University's Open Door Team offers a drop-in counseling service for students who are struggling or stressed. Nightline is a student counselling service that offers private listening assistance, information and support from experienced volunteers. Charities such as Mind and Rethink can provide an abundance of information and support, both online and in local groups. They can also offer many classes and activities, ranging from mindfulness to art classes which can be helpful for people suffering from mental health problems.
Making a referral
Mental health services are under strain and GPs must make difficult decisions about the best specialist services to refer their patients to. The GP will take a patient's medical history into consideration and then recommend 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 professional will review the referral to determine if it's appropriate or not. If the specialist isn't satisfied with the referral, they'll contact the GP to discuss their decision and explain the reasons. They may also request the GP for more information or to modify the referral.
Referrals to a local Community Mental Health Team can be made using the NHS e-Referral Service. The system permits GPs and other healthcare professionals to refer people to either a preliminary mental health assessment or directly to an appointment with an outpatient. Not all CMHTs offer both options, and the system can't be used for all types of mental health referrals.
A doctor may also decide to refer a patient to an expert community mental health service (CMT). These are usually run by a major local healthcare organisation or a hospital. CMTs are a great option for those who require to consult a psychologist or psychiatrist, but do not require inpatient care. They also provide an early intervention service where psychiatrists work with a therapy therapist to help someone overcome a crisis or improve the quality of their life.
CMTs are faced with the task 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 lead people who aren't in crisis to be rushed and suffer delays.
To address this issue, some CMHTs are trying to establish more consistent standards for what is an urgent referral. This was accomplished by using an established form that asks the referrer to indicate if the case is urgent. The proforma has a box that the referrer is able to tick if the request is urgent.