11 Ways To Completely Revamp Your 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 invest more in mental healthcare services faster than overall NHS budget. This will include specialist suicide prevention work.
Need help?
One in four of us will have a mental health problem at some moment in our lives. The good news is there are many avenues to seek help, and many of us will recover over time. It is important to know the types of help available and who can offer it.
You can seek help from a variety places like your doctor (primary care medical doctor) as well as your local health center or a community mental health team. These teams are made up of nurses, occupational therapists, psychotherapists and speech and language therapists who work together with the people who utilize the service. You can get individual or group therapy based on the type of help you require.
Your GP will typically require you to fill out the form to refer you to a local mental health team. They will also talk to you about what kind of help you require. You will be assessed by a member of the mental team like psychiatrist, psychologist or social worker. In some cases, a clinical nurse specialist will carry out your assessment and Mental health online Assessment treatment. You can contact the NHS 111 helpline if you are in an emergency. If you are already receiving mental health support, it is best to contact your regular team first, unless it is outside of hours, or on a weekend, or a bank holiday.
The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health set out plans to establish more place-based, multidisciplinary community mental health teams with links to primary care networks. These will help to improve the quality of care provided to those suffering from a mental health crisis and offer support in their homes and communities instead of in hospitals.
The plan also aimed at make crisis services more accessible by reducing wait times and allowing more beds. It also proposed to introduce mental health transport vehicles, and ensure that every ambulance has a Mental health Online Assessment health liaison nurse in their control rooms to ensure that those suffering from mental health issues are supported in emergency situations.
Treatment options
The NHS offers a variety of treatment options for mental health conditions. Less severe disorders are often treated by GPs however more serious conditions require specialists. These teams work across both community and primary mental health services and psychiatric hospitals. There are also safe spaces where you can get help when you're in crisis.
Talking treatments for anxiety and depression are among the main types of treatment. Formerly known as IAPT, these programs have seen referral numbers increase every year since their launch in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan has committed to expanding these services to 1.9 million people by 2023/2024.
Psychiatric medicines are another important component of treatment. They can help alleviate symptoms by altering the way the brain's chemicals work. They can also help ease side effects of other treatments. Your doctor will prescribe the best medication for you.
A variety of talk therapy options are available including group therapy and mental health online assessment individual therapy. Some of these therapies can be delivered in person, while others are available remotely. Some patients prefer receiving treatment in person, but that is a personal decision. Mind is one of many charities that provide support groups and courses. Their website contains a wealth of reliable information, but you must be aware that there's lots of inaccurate or misleading information on the internet about mental health issues.
While the NHS is advancing its mental health care but it's still struggling to meet the demands. In the UK, there are 54 mental trusts. The majority of them receive funding from the clinical commissioning groups. They typically are located in a specific region however, they may be contracted to provide national services.
The shortage of resources is a major issue. There are also concerns about the quality of care and the shortage of nurses and psychiatrists. The NHS is working to improve these services by providing more training and introducing new methods of working. It also introduces safer and more effective methods of treating people who are in crisis. This includes mobile crisis teams, as well as safe spaces.
Supporting you
Since the NHS was established 70 years ago, there have been many positive developments for those suffering from mental health problems. The options for treatment have grown and social barriers have been taken down. But there's still a lot to do.
People who are in mental illness need to receive the assistance they require quickly and easily. The NHS is working to improve services so that people in need receive assistance. We will ensure that every acute hospital does not have a mental health liaison in A&E departments and wards for inpatients by 2020/21. We will also ensure that 70 percent of these services will meet the 'core 24' standard by 2023/24, working towards a 100% coverage rate after that.
We will also expand services for those who require them in the community, such as talking therapies, to give hundreds of thousands of people suffering from severe or common mental health issues the help they require. We will continue to develop the national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) program to ensure that more people are seen by qualified therapists, quicker.
The NHS offers confidential, free helplines to anyone struggling with mental health issues. These include the Samaritans, Mind and Rethink. These helplines are run by volunteers who provide an environment where you can talk to someone in a safe manner or provide advice and information about how to handle your mental health concerns.
There are also local organizations that provide assistance and support to those who suffer from mental health issues. They can provide self-help guides, strategies for coping and activities to try. A lot of these organizations provide support groups in person for those who would prefer this type of support.
The University's Open Door Team offers a drop-in counseling service for students struggling or stressed. Nightline is a student counseling service that offers private listening, support and information from knowledgeable volunteers. Charities like Mind and Rethink are a excellent source of information and provide support in various forms such as online and through local groups. They can also offer various classes and activities, ranging from mindfulness to art groups, which may be useful for people suffering from mental health problems.
Referrals
Mental health services are under strain and GPs are forced to make difficult choices regarding which specialist services to refer their patients to. The GP will look at the patient's medical background and refer them to services they believe will be able to assist. They may send a referral either to an NHS trust, or to an independent provider.
A mental health professional will then assess the referral and decide whether it's appropriate or not. If the specialist isn't pleased with the referral, they'll call the GP to discuss their decision and provide the reason. They can also request the GP for more details or to modify the referral.
Referrals to the local Community Mental Health Team can be made through the NHS e-Referral Service. The system allows doctors and other healthcare professionals to direct patients to an initial clinical assessment for mental health assessment cost health or directly to an appointment. However not all CMHTs provide both options, and the system cannot be used for every kind of mental health referral.
A GP might decide to refer a patient to a specialist community mental health service (CMT). These are usually run by a major local healthcare organization or hospital. CMTs can be a good option for people who wish to consult with a seasoned psychologist or psychiatrist but don't need inpatient treatment. They can also provide an early intervention service where psychiatrists collaborate with therapy therapist to assist a person overcome any crisis or improve the quality of their life.
CMTs have the responsibility of making sure that all referrals are made within a reasonable time. One of the challenges is that a large number of referrals are deemed urgent, despite the fact that they might not be. This can lead to over-working and delays for people who are not in crisis.
To tackle this issue, some CMHTs have attempted to establish more uniform guidelines for what constitutes a referral urgent. This has been accomplished through the use of an established referral form that requires the referrer to decide if the situation is urgent. The form includes a box that the referrer has to check if the referral is urgent.
