Mental Health Services on the NHS

There has been a massive increase in people seeking help for mental health issues, and the NHS has responded by offering services. This includes:

The Long Term Plan has made an unrepeatable commitment to increase investment in mental health services faster than the NHS budget overall. This includes specialist work in suicide prevention.

Helping yourself

One in four of us will have a mental health problem at some time in our lives. The good news is that there are many ways to get help, and many of us will improve over time. It is important to know the types of help available and who can offer it.

You can seek assistance from a variety places, including your doctor (primary medical doctor for primary care), your local health centre or a community mental health team. These teams are comprised of occupational and nurse psychotherapists, as well as speech therapists. They work with people who use their services. You can get individual or group therapy based on the kind of help you require.

Your GP will typically require you to fill out the form to send you a referral to a community mental health team. They will also talk with you about what kind of help you need. Then, you will be viewed by someone from a mental health team that may comprise a psychiatrist social worker or psychologist. In some cases, a clinical nurse specialist will conduct your assessment and treatment. If you're experiencing a crisis, you can contact the NHS 111 helpline for immediate support. If you're already supported by mental health services it's a good idea to call your usual team first, unless it's outside of normal hours, on a weekend or a bank holiday.

The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health included plans to establish more multidisciplinary, place-based community mental health teams with links to primary care networks. These will help to improve the quality of the care given to those suffering from a mental health crisis and offer assistance in their homes and communities rather than in hospitals.

The plan also aims at making crisis services accessible by cutting down waiting times and opening more beds. It also proposed to introduce mental health transport vehicles, and ensure that every ambulance has a mental health liaison nurse in their control rooms to ensure that those suffering from a mental health crisis are helped in times of crisis.

Treatment options

The NHS offers a wide array of treatment options for mental health conditions. The less severe disorders are typically treated by GPs and more severe conditions require a specialist team. These teams are spread across primary and community mental health services and mental health hospitals. There are also safe places where you can seek help when you're in crisis.

Talking treatments for anxiety and depression are one of the main kinds of treatment. These programs, previously known as IAPT (Interactive Assessment and Psychotherapy) have seen their number of referrals increase each year since they introduced in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan has set the goal of expanding these services to 1.9 million people by 2023/2024.

The use of psychiatric medication is also a vital component of treatment. They can alleviate symptoms by changing the way the brain's chemicals function. They can also be used to alleviate the side effects of other treatments. Your doctor will suggest the best medication for you.

There are many different types of talking therapies, including group therapy and individual therapy. Some of these treatments are delivered in person, while others are available remotely. Some patients prefer face to face treatment, but it is an individual choice. There are a variety of charities that offer support groups and courses, such as Mind. Their website has a lot of trustworthy information, but you should be aware of the fact that there's lots of inaccurate or misleading information on the internet about mental health issues.

While the NHS is advancing its mental health services however, it is still struggling to meet the demands. There are 54 mental health trusts in the UK, and most of are funded by clinical commissioning groups to provide their services. They are usually located in a particular region however, they may be commissioned to provide national services.

The lack of resources is a major issue. There are also concerns about the quality of care and the shortage of psychiatrists and nurses. The NHS is trying to improve the quality of care by delivering more training and introducing new methods of working. It also provides safer and more effective methods of treating people in crisis. These include mobile crisis teams and safe space.

We are here to help you

Since the NHS was launched 70 years ago there have been numerous 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 much more to be done.

People experiencing a mental health online assessment health crisis need to be able to get the help they require quickly and easily. That's why the NHS is working hard to improve the services available to those who require them. We will ensure that no acute hospital is without a mental health liaison service in A&E departments and wards for patients by 2020/21. 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 increase services for people who require them in the community, including therapy for talking, which will give thousands of more patients with severe or common mental health issues the help they require. We will continue to work on our national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies program (IAPT) in order to ensure that more people with mental health issues are seen faster by qualified therapists.

The NHS offers free, confidential helplines for anyone struggling with a mental health issue. Samaritans Mind and Rethink are some of the helplines that are available. These helplines are operated by trained volunteers. They offer the opportunity to talk with someone in a secure environment, or offer advice and information on how to deal with your mental health issues.

Additionally there are a variety of local organizations that provide support and guidance to people with mental health problems. Self-help guides, coping strategies and activities can be included. Many of these organisations offer face-toface support groups to 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 depressed or stressed. Nightline is a student counselling service that offers private listening, support and information from knowledgeable volunteers. Charities such as Mind and Rethink can provide a wealth of information and support both online mental health assessment and in local groups. They can also offer many classes and activities, from mindfulness to art classes that could be beneficial for people who suffer from mental health problems.

Referrals

With mental health services under pressure, GPs are having to make difficult decisions regarding the services they will refer patients to. The GP will consider the patient's medical background and refer them to services they believe will be able to help. They may refer a patient to an NHS trust or an independent provider.

A mental health specialist will then assess the referral and decide if it's appropriate or not. If the specialist isn't happy with the referral they will call the GP to discuss their decision and provide the reason. They may also ask the GP to provide more information or to modify the referral.

Requests for mental a local Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) may be made via the NHS e-Referral Service (e-RS). The system allows GPs and other healthcare professionals to refer people to either a preliminary mental health assessment or directly to an appointment with an outpatient. However not all CMHTs offer 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 a specialist community mental health service (CMT). These are usually run by a major local healthcare organisation or hospital. CMTs can be a good alternative for those looking to consult with a seasoned psychologist or psychiatrist, but don't require inpatient care. They also offer an early intervention program, where a psychiatrist will work with an therapist to help a person overcome a problem or improve their quality of life.

One of the major challenges that a CMT is how to ensure that all referrals are made within the proper time frame. Many referrals are considered urgent even though they may not be. This can result in delays and over-working for people who aren't in need.

To address this issue some CMHTs are trying to establish more uniform standards for what is considered an urgent referral. This was achieved by using a standardised form which asks the referrer to indicate if the situation is urgent. The form includes a box that the referrer can tick when the referral is urgent.