A Step-By-Step 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 providing services. This includes:
The Long Term Plan has made the commitment to increase the amount of money spent on mental health services more quickly than the NHS budget in general. This includes special suicide prevention services.
Get help
One in four of us will have a mental health problem at some moment in our lives. The good news is that there are plenty of different ways to get assistance and the majority of us recover with time. It is important to know the types of help available and who can offer it.
You can seek assistance from your physician, your local health center, or a mental health team in your community. These teams comprise of occupational and nurse psychotherapists, as well as speech therapists. They work with the people who use their services. You may receive individual or group therapy based on the kind of help you require.
You will be asked to fill out a form from your GP so they can refer you to a mental health service in the community. They will also talk to you about the kind of help you require. You will be seen by an individual from an interdisciplinary team of mental health professionals which includes psychologist, psychiatrist or social worker. In some cases a clinical nurse specialist will perform your assessment and treatment. If you're in an emergency, you can call the NHS 111 helpline for urgent assistance. If you already receive mental health support it is recommended to call your usual team first, unless it is out of hours, on a weekend or bank holiday.
The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health detailed plans to create multidisciplinary, community-based mental health teams that are connected to primary care networks. These teams will improve the quality of the care delivered to people experiencing a crisis, and offer support to patients in their homes and community instead of in hospitals.
The plan also aimed to provide crisis services to more people by reducing wait times and opening more beds. It also proposes the introduction of mental health transport vehicles, and ensure that every ambulance has 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 provides a variety of treatment options for mental health problems. GPs are usually able to treat minor illnesses, however more serious illnesses will require the assistance of a specialist team. These teams operate across both community and primary mental health services, as well as the psychiatric hospitals. There are also safe spaces where you can get help for those who are in a crisis.
Talking therapies for depression and anxiety are among the main kinds of treatment. Formerly known as IAPT the programs have seen the number of people who seek them increase every year since their launch in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan has committed to expanding these services to 1.9 million people by 2023/2024.
Psychiatric medications are another crucial component of treatment. They can improve symptoms by altering how the brain's chemicals function. They can be used to lessen the negative effects of other treatments. Your doctor will prescribe the right medicine for you.
A wide variety of talking therapy options are available including group therapy and individual therapy. Some of these are delivered in person, whereas others are available remotely. Some patients prefer face-to face treatment, but it is an individual choice. Mind is one of many charities that offer support groups and courses. The website contains a wealth of information that is trustworthy but you should be aware of the fact that there are numerous false or misleading statements that are posted on the internet concerning mental health issues.
While the NHS is improving its mental health services, it still struggles to cope with demand. In the UK, there are 54 mental trusts. Most of them receive funding from the clinical commissioning groups. They typically are located in a specific region however they can also be commissioned to provide national services.
A key issue is the lack of resources to meet rising demand. There are also concerns over the quality of care and a shortage of psychiatrists and nurses. The NHS is trying to improve these services by offering more training and introducing new methods of working. It is also introducing more efficient and safer methods to treat people in crisis like mobile crisis teams and secure places.
Supporting you
Since the NHS was established 70 years ago there have been numerous positive developments for people suffering from mental health problems. Treatment options have increased and social barriers are breaking down. But there is much more to be done.
People who are suffering from a mental health crisis must be able to access the help they require quickly and easily. This is why the NHS is putting in the effort to improve services for people who need these services. We will ensure that no acute hospital does not have a mental health liaison in A&E departments and inpatient wards by 2020/21, and that 70% of these services will be in line with the "core 24" standard by 2023/24. Then we will work towards 100% coverage thereafter.
We will also enhance community services, including talk therapy, to offer assistance to hundreds of thousands of individuals suffering from mental health conditions, whether they are common or severe. We will continue to work on our national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme (IAPT) in order to ensure that more people suffering from mental health conditions can be seen quicker by qualified therapists.
The NHS offers free, confidential helplines to anyone suffering from a mental health issue. They include the Samaritans, Mind and Rethink. These helplines are operated by trained volunteers. They offer the opportunity to talk with someone in a secure environment or provide information and advice on how to deal with your mental health concerns.
In addition, there are a number of local organisations which can provide assistance and support for people with mental health problems. These can include self-help guides, strategies for coping and activities to try. Many of these organizations provide support groups in person for those who prefer it.
For students, there's the University's Open Door Team which offers a drop-in counselling service for those who are feeling depressed or stressed. Nightline is a student counseling service that offers confidential listening as well as information and support from knowledgeable volunteers. Charities such as Mind and Rethink are a excellent source of information and can provide support in a variety of ways that include online and through local groups. They also provide various classes and activities, from mindfulness to art groups, which may be useful for people who suffer from mental health problems.
Referring someone to you
With mental health services under pressure, GPs are having to make difficult decisions about the services they will refer patients to. The GP will look at the patient's medical background and recommend them to services they believe can aid. They can refer a patient to an NHS trust or an independent provider.
A mental health professional will then review the referral and decide if it's appropriate or not. If the specialist isn't pleased with the referral they will call the GP to discuss their decision and explain the reason. They could request the GP to change the referral or request more details.
The referral to a local Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) can be made through the NHS e-Referral Service (e-RS). The system permits GPs and other healthcare professionals to refer patients to either a pre-mental health clinical assessment or directly to an outpatient appointment. Not all CMHTs offer both options and the system cannot be used for all kinds of mental health referrals.
A GP may also refer patients to a community mental health specialist service (CMT). They are usually managed by a large hospital or local health care organization. CMTs can be a good option for people who wish to see an experienced psychiatrist or psychologist but don't require inpatient care. They can also provide an early intervention service where a psychiatrist collaborates with an counselor to help someone overcome a crisis or improve their quality of life.
CMTs have the responsibility of making sure that all referrals are received within a reasonable time frame. Many referrals are deemed urgent, even though they might not be. This can lead people who aren't in a crisis to be rushed and suffer delays.
To address this issue some CMHTs are trying to establish more uniform standards for what constitutes an urgent referral. click here for more info is being achieved by using a standardised referral proforma that requires a referrer to decide if the situation is urgent. The form has a checkbox that the referrer has to check when the referral is urgent.