15 Amazing Facts About Mental Health Services NHS
Mental Health Services on the NHS
There has been a huge rise in people seeking help for mental health issues, and the NHS has responded by providing services. This includes:
The Long Term Plan has made a renewed commitment to grow the investment in mental health services quicker than the NHS budget overall. This includes specialist suicide prevention work.
Getting help
One in four of us will have a mental health problem at some point in our lives. The good news is that there are a variety of ways to seek assistance, and the majority of us will recover over time. But it's important to know what help is available and who can provide it.
You can get help from your physician, your local health center or mental health team within your area. These teams comprise of nurses, occupational and speech therapists, and psychotherapists. They work with clients who seek their services. Depending on the type of assistance you require you might be provided with individual or group therapy.
Your GP will usually require you to fill out the form to refer you to a local mental health team. They will also speak to you about what kind of assistance you require. You will be assessed by members of the mental team which includes psychiatrist, psychologist or social worker. In some instances your evaluation and treatment will be performed by a nurse specialist. You can call the NHS 111 helpline if you are in crisis. If you already receive mental health services it is recommended to call your usual team first, unless it is out of office hours, on a weekend, or a bank holiday.
The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health detailed plans to create multidisciplinary mental health teams in the community that are linked to primary care networks. These will help to improve the quality of care that is delivered to people who are experiencing a mental health crisis and offer assistance within their communities and homes rather than in hospitals.
The plan also aimed at help make crisis services more accessible by reducing waiting times and allowing more beds. It also proposed to introduce mental health transport vehicles and make sure that all ambulances have an official who is a mental health liaison in their control rooms to ensure people suffering from an illness of mental health are helped in times of crisis.
Treatment options
The NHS provides a wide range of treatment options for mental health issues. Disorders that are less severe are usually treated by GPs however more serious conditions require a specialist team. These teams work in primary and community mental healthcare services, as well psychiatric hospital. You can also seek help in a safe space when you are in a crisis.
Talking therapies for depression and anxiety are among the most popular types of treatment. Previously known as IAPT These programs have seen referral numbers increase every year since their launch in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan commits to expanding these programs to ensure that 1.9 million people will be able to access them in 2023/2024.
Psychiatric medications are also a crucial element of treatment. They can help alleviate symptoms by altering the way that chemicals function in your brain. They can also help ease side effects of other treatments. Your doctor will prescribe the appropriate medicine for you.
A variety of talk therapy treatments are available, including group therapy and individual therapy. Some of them are offered in person, while others can be done via a remote device. Some patients prefer receiving treatment in person, but that is a personal preference. There are also a lot of charities that offer classes and support groups, such as Mind. The site is full of information that is trustworthy but you should be aware of the fact that there are a lot of false or misleading claims on the internet regarding mental health issues.
While the NHS is improving its mental health services, it still struggles to meet the demands. In the UK, there are 54 mental health online assessment trusts. The majority of them receive funding for their services from the clinical commissioning group. They are usually located in a particular region, but they can be commissioned to offer national services.
A key issue is the lack of resources to meet the demands of the rising population. There are concerns about the quality and shortage of nurses and psychiatrists. The NHS is working to improve the quality of care by providing more training and developing new ways of working. It also introduces more efficient and safer ways to help people who are in crisis. These include mobile crisis teams, as well as safe space.
Helping you
Since the NHS was first introduced 70 years ago, there are positive changes for people suffering from mental health issues. Treatment options have expanded and social barriers are being broken down. However, there is much to be done.
People experiencing mental health issues require the ability to get the assistance they require quickly and cost easily. This is why the NHS is putting in the effort to improve the quality of services for those who require these services. By 2020/21 we will ensure 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 core 24 standard by 2023/24. Then we will strive for 100% coverage.
We will also increase services for people who require them in the community, including talking therapies, to give hundreds of thousands of people suffering from severe or common mental health conditions the assistance they need. We will continue to develop our national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies program (IAPT) in order to ensure that more people with mental health conditions can be seen more quickly by qualified therapists.
The NHS offers confidential, no-cost helplines to anyone struggling with mental health issues. These include the Samaritans and Mind and Rethink. These helplines are operated by trained volunteers. They offer an environment where you can talk in a safe manner or provide information and advice on how to tackle your mental health concerns.
Additionally there are a variety of local organisations which can provide assistance and support for people with mental health problems. 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 method.
For students, there's the University's Open Door Team which offers a drop-in counselling service for those feeling depressed or stressed. Nightline is a student counselling service that offers confidential listening as well as information and support from experienced volunteers. Charities such as Mind and Rethink are a great source of information and can provide support in a variety of ways such as online and through local groups. They also provide a variety of classes and activities, from mindfulness to art groups, which may be useful for people suffering 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 GP will look at the medical history of the patient and refer them to services they believe can aid. They may send a referral to an NHS trust or an independent service.
A mental health specialist will then review the referral and decide if it's appropriate or not. If the specialist isn't pleased with the referral they will contact the GP to discuss their decision and provide the reason. They could request the GP to alter the referral or request additional details.
The referral to a local Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) may be made via the NHS e-Referral Service (e-RS). The system lets doctors and other healthcare professionals direct patients to a preliminary clinical assessment for mental health or directly to an appointment. Not all CMHTs offer both options, and the system is not able to be used for all types of mental health referrals.
A doctor may also refer patients to a mental health specialist in the community service (CMT). They are typically operated by a large local healthcare organisation or hospital. CMTs are a great option for those who want to consult a qualified psychiatrist or psychologist but don't need inpatient treatment. They also offer an early intervention service where a psychiatrist will work with the psychotherapist to help a patient overcome a problem or improve their quality of life.
CMTs are faced with the task of making sure that all referrals are received within a reasonable time frame. Many referrals are considered urgent, even though they might not be. This can cause people who aren't experiencing a crisis to be overwhelmed and suffer delays.
To tackle this issue, some CMHTs are trying to establish more consistent guidelines for what constitutes an urgent referral. This was achieved through an established form that asks the referrer if the situation is urgent. The form includes a box that the referrer can tick when the referral is urgent.