15 Reasons You Shouldn't Overlook Mental Health Services NHS
Mental Health Services on the NHS
The NHS has responded to the rise in mental health problems by offering services. This includes:
The Long Term Plan has made a renewed commitment to grow the investment in mental health services faster than the NHS budget in general. This will include specialist work in suicide prevention.
Get assistance
One out of four people will suffer from a mental illness at some time in their lives. The good news is that there are many different ways to seek assistance and the majority of us recover with time. It is crucial to know what assistance is available and who can provide it.
You can seek help from your physician or the local health center, or a mental health service in your area. These teams consist of nurses, occupational and speech therapists, and psychotherapists. I Am Psychiatry work with patients who require their services. Depending on the type of help you need you might be provided with individual or group therapy.
You will be asked to complete a form with your GP so they can refer you to a mental health professional in the community. They will also ask what you require in terms of support. You will be assessed by an individual from the mental team which includes psychologist, psychiatrist or social worker. In some instances, a clinical nurse specialist will carry out your assessment and treatment. If you're in an emergency, you can call the NHS 111 helpline for urgent assistance. If you're already being assisted by mental health services it's a good idea to call your usual team first, unless it's outside of the normal hours, a weekend or on a bank holiday.
The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health detailed plans to establish multidisciplinary, community-based mental health teams which are connected to primary care networks. These teams will increase the quality of the mental health services provided to those in crisis, and offer support to patients within their communities and at home rather than in hospitals.
The plan also aims at making emergency services available by cutting down waiting times and opening more beds. It also proposed to introduce mental health transport vehicles, and ensure that all ambulances have an official who is a mental health liaison in their control rooms to ensure that people who are having a mental health crisis are assisted in emergencies.
Treatment options
The NHS provides a variety of treatment options to treat mental health conditions. Disorders that are less severe are usually treated by GPs, while more serious conditions require an expert team. These teams operate in primary and community healthcare facilities and psychiatric hospitals. There are also safe spaces where you can seek assistance when you're in a crisis.
Talking treatments for anxiety and depression are among the main treatments. These programs, previously known as IAPT (Interactive Assessment and Psychotherapy), have seen their number of referrals increase each year since they launched in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan commits to expanding these services to ensure that 1.9 million people will be able to use them in 2023/2024.
The use of psychiatric medication is also a crucial element of treatment. They can help alleviate 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 medicine for you.
A wide range of talking therapy options are available including group therapy and individual therapy. Some of these therapies are offered in person, while other can be done online. Some patients prefer treatment in person, but that is a personal choice. There are also a lot of charities which offer support groups and classes, such as Mind. The site is full of information that is trustworthy however, be aware that there are a lot of false or misleading statements that are posted on the internet concerning mental health issues.
While the NHS is advancing its mental health care but it's still struggling to cope with demand. In the UK, there are 54 mental trusts. They receive the majority of funding for their services from the clinical commissioning groups. They are usually located in a particular region however they can also be commissioned to offer national services.
The main issue is the lack of resources to meet the demands of the rising population. There are also concerns about the quality of care and there is a shortage of psychiatrists and nurses. The NHS is striving to improve its services by introducing new methods of working and offering more training. It also introduces more efficient and safer methods to treat people in crisis, such as mobile crisis teams and safe areas.
Helping you
Since the NHS was established 70 years ago there are positive changes for those with mental health issues. Treatment options have expanded and social barriers are being broken down. But there is much more to be done.
People who are in a mental crisis need to receive the assistance they require quickly and easily. The NHS is striving to improve the quality of services so that people in need can get them. We will ensure that every acute hospital is without the mental health liaison service in A&E departments and wards for inpatients by 2020/21. 70 percent of these services will meet the "core 24" standard by 2023/24. Then we will work towards a 100% coverage rate after that.
We will also increase services for people who need them in the community, which includes talking therapies, to give thousands of more people suffering from severe or common mental health issues the help they need. We will continue to work on the national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) program to ensure that more people are seen by qualified therapists, more quickly.
The NHS offers confidential, no-cost helplines to those suffering from mental health issues. These include the Samaritans, Mind and Rethink. These helplines are run by trained volunteers. They provide an environment where you can talk in a safe manner, or offer information and advice on how to tackle your mental health concerns.
Additionally there are a variety of local organizations that can provide assistance and support for people with mental health problems. Self-help guides, coping strategies and other activities are available. Many of these organisations provide support groups in person for those who prefer it.
For students, there's the University's Open Door Team which offers an opportunity to consult with a counsellor at any time for those who are feeling low or stressed. There is also the Nightline student counselling service that offers confidential listening and support from knowledgeable volunteers, as well as information about other services. Charities such as Mind and Rethink can provide many sources of information and support, both online and in local groups. They also provide a variety of classes and activities, from mindfulness to art classes that could be beneficial for people suffering from mental health problems.
Making a referral
Mental health services are under pressure and GPs have to make difficult choices regarding which specialist services to refer their patients to. The doctor will take the patient's medical history into account and then refer them to a specialist they think can assist. They may send a referral to an NHS trust or an independent service.
A mental health specialist will examine the referral to determine if it is appropriate or not. If the specialist isn't pleased with the referral they will call the GP to discuss their decision and explain why. They can also ask the GP for more information or to alter the referral.
Referrals to a local Community Mental Health Team can be made using the NHS e-Referral Service. The system allows GPs and other healthcare professionals to refer patients to either a preliminary mental health clinical assessment service or directly to an outpatient appointment. However not all CMHTs provide both options, and the system cannot be used for every kind of mental health referral.
A GP may also decide to refer a person to an expert community mental health service (CMT). These are usually run by a large local healthcare organisation or hospital. CMTs are an excellent option for those who require to see a psychiatrist or psychologist but do not require inpatient treatment. They can also offer an early intervention service in which psychiatrists work with a therapy therapist to assist a person overcome a crisis or improve the quality of their life.
CMTs have the responsibility of making sure that all referrals are received within a reasonable time. One of the challenges is that many referrals are deemed urgent, even though they may not be. This can lead to delays and over-working for people who are not in crisis.
To address this issue, some CMHTs have tried to establish more uniform guidelines for what constitutes a referral urgent. This was achieved through a standardised form which asks the referrer if the case is urgent. The proforma has a box that the referrer is able to tick when the request is urgent.