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 increase investment in mental healthcare services faster than the overall NHS budget. This will include specialist work in suicide prevention.
Get assistance
One of four people will suffer from mental illness at some time in their lives. The good news is that there are a variety of different ways to seek help and most of us recover after a while. It is essential to know what help is available and who can provide it.
You can seek help from a variety of sources such as your GP (primary medical doctor for primary care), your local health centre, or a community mental health team. These teams consist of occupational and nurse psychotherapists and speech therapists. They work with the people who use their services. You may receive individual or group therapy, based on the type of help you require.
You will be asked to complete a form with your GP so they can refer you to a mental health service in the community. They will also talk with you about the type of assistance you require. You will be seen by a member of the mental team which includes psychologist, psychiatrist or social worker. In some cases your evaluation and treatment will be carried out by a nurse specialist. You can call the NHS 111 helpline if you are in a crisis. If you are already receiving support for your mental health, it is best to contact your regular team first, unless out of hours, on a weekend or 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. They will improve the quality of care that is provided to those suffering from an illness of mental health and offer support in their homes and communities instead of in hospitals.
The plan also aimed at make crisis services more accessible by reducing waiting times and opening more beds. It would also introduce a mental transport vehicle and ensure that all ambulances are outfitted with a mental liaison nurse within the control room to improve how those who are experiencing mental distress are helped in times of crisis.
Treatment options
The NHS offers a variety of treatment options for mental health conditions. Less severe disorders are often treated by GPs however more serious disorders require an expert team. These teams operate across primary and community mental health services, and mental health hospitals. There are also safe spaces where you can get help for those who are in a state of crisis.
Talking therapies for depression and anxiety are among the main kinds of treatment. Previously referred to as IAPT the programs have seen referrals increase each year since their launch in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan has committed to expanding these programs to 1.9 million people by 2023/2024.
Psychiatric medicines are also an important component of treatment. They can help alleviate symptoms by changing the way chemicals work in your brain. private mental health assessment ireland can also help reduce the effects of other treatments. Your doctor will prescribe the best medicine for you.
There are a variety of talk therapy, including group therapy and individual therapy. Some of these therapies are delivered in person, while others can be performed online. Some patients prefer treatment in person, but this is a personal choice. Mind is one of the charities that provide support groups and courses. The site is full of information that is reliable, but be aware of the fact that there are numerous false or misleading statements on the internet regarding mental health issues.
While the NHS is improving its mental health care however, it is still struggling to meet the demands. There are 54 mental health trusts across the UK, and most of them receive funding from clinical commissioning organizations to deliver their services. They typically are located in a specific region however, they may be contracted to provide national services.
A key issue is the insufficient resources to meet the growing demand. There are also concerns over the quality of care and the shortage of nurses and psychiatrists. The NHS is working to improve the quality of care by offering more training and introducing new ways of working. It also provides safer and more effective methods of treating people who are in crisis. These include mobile crisis teams, as well as safe space.
Helping you
Since the NHS was established 70 years ago there have been a lot of positive developments for people suffering from mental health problems. The treatment options have gotten better and social barriers have been smashed down. But there is more to be done.
People who are in mental illness need to receive the assistance they require quickly and easily. The NHS is working to improve its services to ensure that those who need them can get assistance. By 2020/21, we will make sure that all acute hospitals have a mental health liaison service both in A&E as well as on wards for patients and that 70% of these will meet the standard of 24 by 2023/24. We will then strive for 100 percent coverage.
We will also extend services for people who require them in the community, such as therapy for talking, which will give hundreds of thousands of patients with severe or common mental health conditions the support they need. We will continue to develop our national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme (IAPT) to ensure that more people suffering from mental health conditions can be seen more quickly by therapists who are qualified.
The NHS offers confidential, no-cost assistance to anyone suffering from mental health issues. These include the Samaritans, Mind and Rethink. These helplines are run entirely by volunteers who provide the opportunity to talk in a secure environment or provide advice and information on how to deal your mental health concerns.
Additionally to that, there are a lot of local organizations that provide support and guidance to those with mental health issues. Self-help guides, coping strategies and other activities are all possible. A lot of these organizations offer face-to-face support groups for those who prefer this option.
For students, there is the University's Open Door Team which offers an opportunity to consult with a counsellor at any time for those feeling low or stressed. Nightline is a student counselling service that provides confidential listening, support and information from knowledgeable volunteers. Charities such as Mind and Rethink can provide an abundance of information and assistance, both online and in local groups. They also provide various courses and activities, from mindfulness to art classes which can be helpful for people who suffer from mental health problems.
Referrals
Mental health services are under pressure and GPs have to make difficult choices about which specialist services to refer their patients to. The doctor will take the patient's medical history into consideration and then refer them to a specialist they think could be able to assist. They can send a referral either to an NHS trust, or an independent provider.
A mental health professional will then assess the referral and decide if it's appropriate or not. If the specialist doesn't like the referral, they'll contact the GP and explain the reasons. They can also ask the GP to provide more information or to change the referral.
The referral to a local Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) can be made through the NHS e-Referral Service (e-RS). The system allows GPs and other health professionals to refer people to either a pre-mental health clinical assessment or directly to an outpatient appointment. However not all CMHTs provide both options, and the system can't be used for every type of mental health referral.
A GP may decide to refer a person to an expert community mental health service (CMT). These are usually run either by an enormous hospital or a local healthcare organisation. CMTs are a great option for people who wish to see an experienced psychiatrist or psychologist but don't need inpatient treatment. assess mental health can also provide an early intervention program, where a psychiatrist works with a counselor to help someone overcome a crisis or increase their quality of life.
One of the major challenges that CMTs CMT is to ensure that all referrals are assigned within an appropriate time frame. Many referrals are considered urgent, even if they may not be. This can lead people who aren't in crisis to be overwhelmed and suffer delays.
To address this issue, certain CMHTs are working to establish more consistent standards for what is an urgent referral. This is being achieved by using a standardised referral proforma that requires a referrer to decide if the situation is urgent. The form includes a box that the referrer can tick in the event that they believe the referral is urgent.