5 Things That Everyone Is Misinformed About Regarding Mental Health Services NHS
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 providing services. This includes:
The Long Term Plan reaffirmed its commitment to boost investment in mental health services faster than overall NHS budget. This will include specialist work in suicide prevention.
Get help
One out of four of us will experience mental health issues at some point in our lives. The good news is that there are plenty of different ways to seek help, and most people recover after a while. However, it is important to know what assistance is available, and who is able to provide it.
You can seek assistance from your doctor, your local health center or a mental health team in your local area. These teams comprise of nurses, occupational and speech therapists, and psychotherapists. They work with people who use their services. Based on the kind of assistance you require, you may be offered individual or group therapy.
Your doctor will typically ask you to fill in an application form to refer you to a community mental health team. They will also ask you to specify what kind of support you need. You will then be examined by a member of a mental health team that may include a psychiatrist, social worker or psychologist. In certain instances, a clinical nurse specialist will carry out your assessment and treatment. You can call the NHS 111 helpline when you're in crisis. If you are already receiving support for your mental health, it is best to contact your primary team first, unless it is out of office hours, on a weekend or a bank holiday.
The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health outlined plans to create more multidisciplinary, place-based community mental health teams that have links to primary care networks. They will improve the quality of the care provided to those experiencing a mental health crisis and offer support in their homes and communities instead of in hospitals.
The plan also aims at making crisis services more accessible by decreasing wait times and opening up more beds. It would also introduce an ambulance for mental health and ensure that all ambulances are outfitted with a mental liaison nurse in the control room to ensure that those who are experiencing mental distress are helped in times of crisis.
Treatment options
The NHS provides a wide range of treatment options for mental health conditions. Disorders that are less severe are usually treated by GPs, while more severe conditions require an expert team. These teams operate across community and primary mental health services as well as mental health hospitals. You can also seek help in a secure environment when you are in a crisis.
Talking therapies are one of the most commonly used forms of treatment for anxiety and depression. These programs, formerly 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 commits to expanding these services so that 1.9 million people will be able to use them by 2023/2024.
Psychiatric drugs are a different part of treatment. They can help alleviate symptoms by changing the way chemicals work in your brain. They can also help ease side effects of other treatments. Your doctor will suggest the right medication for you.
A variety of talk therapy options are offered which include group therapy as well as individual therapy. Some of them are offered in person, but others are available remotely. Some patients prefer treatment in person, but this is a personal preference. There are a variety of charities that provide support groups and courses, such as Mind. The website contains a wealth of information that is trustworthy however, be aware that there are numerous false or misleading statements on the internet regarding mental health issues.
The NHS is working to improve the quality of mental health care, but it's struggling to meet the demands. In the UK, there are 54 mental trusts. The majority of them receive funding for their services from the clinical commissioning group. They are typically located in a specific region, but can be commissioned to provide national services.
A key issue is the insufficient resources to meet rising demand. There are concerns over the quality and shortage of psychiatrists and nurses. The NHS is striving to improve its services by introducing new ways of work and delivering more training. It also introduces more efficient and safer methods to assist people in need including mobile crisis teams and secure areas.
We are here to help you
Since the NHS launched 70 years ago, there have been many positive changes for people with mental health issues. The treatment options have increased and social barriers have been broken down. But there is more 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 working hard to improve the services available to those who require these services. We will ensure that no acute hospital does not have the mental health liaison service in A&E departments and wards for patients by 2020/21. 70 percent of these services will be in line with the "core 24" standard by 2023/24. Then we will work towards a 100% coverage rate after that.
We will also enhance community services, including talking therapy, to offer assistance to hundreds of thousands of people suffering from mental health conditions regardless of whether they are severe or common. We will continue to develop the national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) program to ensure that more people are seen by qualified therapists, faster.
The NHS offers confidential, no-cost assistance to anyone suffering from mental health issues. Samaritans Mind and Rethink are some of the helplines that are available. These helplines are run entirely by volunteers who offer a safe place to talk or give advice and information about how to handle your mental health issues.
In addition to that, there are a lot of local organizations that offer support and guidance for those suffering from mental health issues. Self-help guides, coping methods and other activities are all possible. Many of these organisations also offer face-to-face support groups for those who prefer this method.
The University's Open Door Team offers a drop-in counseling service for students feeling down or stressed. Nightline is a student counselling service that offers private listening as well as information and support from experienced volunteers. Charities such as Mind and Rethink can provide a wealth of information and assistance, both online and in local groups. They can also offer many courses and activities, from mindfulness to art groups which can be helpful for people who suffer from mental health problems.
Referrals
With mental health services under pressure, GPs have to make difficult choices about which specialist services they can refer patients to. www.iampsychiatry.com will take into consideration the medical history of the patient and refer them to services they believe can help. They may send a referral to an NHS trust or an independent provider.
A mental health professional will assess the referral to determine if the referral is appropriate or not. If the specialist isn't satisfied with the referral, they will contact the GP and explain why. They can also request the GP for more details or to modify the referral.
The referral to a local Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) can be made through the NHS e-Referral Service (e-RS). The system allows GPs as well as other healthcare professionals to refer people to either a preliminary 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 can also refer a patient to a community mental health specialist service (CMT). They are typically run by an enormous hospital or a local healthcare organization. CMTs are a good choice for those who require to visit a psychologist or psychiatrist but do not require inpatient care. They also offer an early intervention service where a psychiatrist works with a therapist to help a person overcome a crisis or improve their life quality.
One of the biggest challenges faced by CMTs CMT is how to ensure that all referrals are assigned within an appropriate time frame. Many referrals are considered urgent, even if they may not be. This can cause patients who aren't in crisis to be overworked and experience delays.
To address this issue certain CMHTs are working to establish more consistent standards for what constitutes an urgent referral. This has been achieved by using an established referral form that requires a referrer to determine if the case is urgent. The form has a checkbox for the referrer to check if they feel the referral is urgent.