Why We Enjoy Mental Health Services NHS (And You Should, Too!)
Mental Health Services on the NHS
The NHS has responded to the rise in mental health issues by providing services. This includes:
The Long Term Plan reaffirmed its commitment to invest more in mental healthcare services faster than overall NHS budget. This will include specialized work in suicide prevention.
Get assistance
One out of four people will suffer from mental illness at some time in their lives. The good news is that there are a variety of ways to seek help, and most of us will be able to recover with time. It is crucial to know what help is available and who can offer it.
You can seek help from a variety places, including your GP (primary medical doctor who treats patients) or your local health centre, or a community mental health team. These teams are comprised of occupational therapists, nurses psychotherapists, psychotherapists and speech and language therapists who collaborate with people who use the service. You can receive individual or group therapy, based on the type of assistance you require.
Your doctor will typically ask you to fill in an application form so that they can send you a referral to a community mental health team. They will also speak to you about the kind of help you require. You will then be examined by someone from a mental health team, which could include a psychiatrist, psychologist or social worker. In some cases your evaluation and treatment will be conducted by a nurse specialist. You can contact the NHS 111 helpline if you are in an emergency. If you already receive mental health support It is recommended to call your usual team first, unless it's out of hours, on a weekend or bank holiday.
The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health detailed plans to create multidisciplinary mental health teams in the community which are connected to primary care networks. These teams will increase the quality of the mental health services delivered to people experiencing a crisis, and provide support to those in their own homes and communities rather than in hospitals.
The plan also aimed at help make crisis services more accessible by reducing wait times and allowing more beds. It also proposes the introduction of mental health transport vehicles and make sure that all ambulances have a mental health liaison nurse in their control rooms to ensure that people who are having mental health issues are helped in times of crisis.
Treatment options
The NHS provides a wide range of treatment options for people suffering from mental health problems. Disorders that are less severe are usually treated by GPs however more serious disorders require a specialist team. These teams operate across community and primary mental health services as well as the psychiatric hospitals. You can also seek help in a secure environment should you be in a state of crisis.
Talking therapies are one of the most popular forms of treatment for depression and anxiety. Previously known as IAPT These programs have seen the number of people who seek them 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 use them in 2023/2024.
Psychiatric medicines are also a crucial component of treatment. what is a mental health assessment can alleviate symptoms by altering the way that chemicals function in your brain. They can also be used to alleviate the side effects of other treatments. Your doctor will prescribe the best medication for you.
A variety of talk therapy options are offered which include group therapy as well as individual therapy. Some of these are delivered in person, while others are available remotely. Some patients prefer face to face treatment, but it's the choice of the patient. Mind is one of the charities that offer support groups and courses. Their website is full of information that is reliable, however you must be aware that there's plenty of misleading or false information on the internet about mental health issues.
The NHS is advancing mental health care but it is struggling to meet demand. There are 54 mental health trusts across the UK, and most of they receive funding from clinical commissioning groups to deliver their service. They are usually located in a particular region however they can also be contracted to provide national services.
The shortage of resources is a major problem. There are also concerns over the quality of care and a shortage of nurses and psychiatrists. The NHS is trying to improve the quality of care by providing more training and introducing new methods of working. It also introduces safer and more effective ways to help people in crisis including mobile crisis teams and safe places.
Supporting you
Since the NHS launched 70 years ago, there have been many positive developments for people suffering from mental health problems. Treatment options have gotten more diverse and social barriers are being taken down. However, there is much to be done.
People who are suffering from mental health problems need to be able to access the help they require quickly and easily. This is why the NHS is striving to improve the quality of services for those who require these services. We will ensure that no acute hospital is without a mental health liaison in A&E departments and wards for patients by 2020/21, and that 70% of these services will meet the "core 24" standard by 2023/24, working towards 100% coverage thereafter.
We will also enhance community services, including talking therapy, in order to provide support for hundreds of thousands of individuals suffering from mental health conditions, whether they are serious or common. We will continue to work on the national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) program so that more people are visited by therapists who are qualified, quicker.
The NHS provides free, confidential helplines for anyone suffering from a mental health issue. 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 offer advice and guidance on how to deal your mental health issues.
There are also local organizations that provide assistance and support to those suffering from mental health issues. Self-help guides, coping techniques and other activities are available. A lot of these organizations provide support groups in person for those who prefer this method.
For students, there is the University's Open Door Team which offers a drop-in counselling service for those feeling down or stressed. There's also the Nightline student counselling service, which offers confidential listening and support from knowledgeable volunteers, or details about other services. Charities like Mind and Rethink are a excellent source of information and can provide support in a variety of ways, including online and through local groups. They can also offer various classes and activities, from mindfulness to art classes, which may be useful for those living with mental health problems.
Referrals
Mental health services are under pressure and GPs must make difficult choices about which specialist services they should refer their patients to. The doctor will take a patient's medical history into consideration and then recommend them to a service they believe will be able to help. They can refer a patient to an NHS trust, or to an independent provider.
A mental health professional will then evaluate the referral and decide if it's appropriate or not. If the specialist doesn't like the referral, they will call the GP and explain their reasons. They may request the GP to change the referral or request more information.
The referral to a local Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) may be made via the NHS e-Referral Service (e-RS). The system allows GPs as well as other healthcare professionals to refer patients to either a mental health assessment or directly to an outpatient appointment. Not all CMHTs offer both options and the system is not able to be used for all types of mental health referrals.
A GP may decide to refer a person to a specialized community mental health service (CMT). They are usually managed by an enormous hospital or a local healthcare organization. CMTs are a great option for those who want to consult a qualified psychologist or psychiatrist but don't need inpatient treatment. They can also provide an early intervention service where a psychiatrist collaborates with an psychotherapist to help a patient overcome a crisis 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. 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 are not in crisis.
To combat this problem, a few CMHTs have tried to establish more uniform guidelines for what constitutes a referral urgent. This is being achieved through the use of an established referral form that requires a referrer to consider whether the case is urgent. The proforma has a box that the referrer is able to tick to indicate if the request is urgent.