Mental Health Services on the NHS

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

The Long Term Plan reaffirmed its commitment to increase investment in mental health services more quickly than the overall NHS budget. This includes specialist work in suicide prevention.

Helping yourself

One out of four of us will have mental health issues at some time in our lives. The good news is that there are many different ways to get help, and most people recover with time. It is essential to know what help is available, and who can offer it.

You can get help from your GP, your local health center or a mental health team within your local area. These teams consist of occupational therapists, nurses psychotherapists, psychotherapists, and speech and language therapists who work together with the people who utilize the service. 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 doctor so that they can refer you to a mental health professional in the community. They will also talk to you about the type of assistance you require. You will then be seen by a member of a mental health team that may comprise a psychiatrist psychologist or social worker. In some instances, your assessment and treatment will be performed by a nurse specialist. You can contact the NHS 111 helpline if you are in an emergency. If you're already being supported by mental health services, it's a good idea try and contact your usual team first, unless it's out of the normal hours, a weekend or a bank holiday.

The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health detailed plans to establish multidisciplinary team of mental health professionals in the community that are linked to primary care networks. These teams will improve the quality of the mental health services delivered to people experiencing a crisis, and offer support to patients within their communities and at home instead of in hospitals.

The plan also aims to make crisis services more accessible by cutting down wait times and opening up more beds. It would also introduce mental health transport vehicles, and ensure that every ambulance has a mental health liaison nurse in their control rooms to improve the way that those suffering from an illness of mental health are assisted in emergencies.

Treatment options

The NHS offers a variety of treatment options for mental health conditions. GPs typically have the ability to treat milder conditions, but more severe issues will require an expert team. These teams operate in both community and primary mental healthcare services, as well psychiatric hospital. You can also seek assistance in a secure space when you are in a crisis.

Talking treatments for anxiety and depression are among the most popular types of treatment. Previously known as IAPT, these programs have seen referral numbers increase each year since their introduction in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan has committed to expanding these services to 1.9 million people by 2023/2024.

Psychiatric medications are another crucial component of treatment. They can improve symptoms by altering the way the brain's chemicals work. They can also be used to reduce the effects of other treatments. Your doctor will prescribe the right medicine for you.

A wide variety of talking therapy options are offered, including group therapy and individual therapy. Some of these therapies can be delivered in-person, while others are available via remote access. Some patients prefer to receive treatment in person, but this is a personal choice. There are also a number of charities that offer support groups and courses like Mind. The site is full of reliable information however, be aware of the fact that there are many false or misleading claims on the internet regarding mental health issues.

The NHS is improving mental health care but it is struggling to meet demand. There are 54 mental health trusts in the UK and the majority of are funded by clinical commissioning organizations to deliver their services. They are typically located in a specific area however, they can also be commissioned to deliver national services.

The main issue is the lack of resources to meet the demands of the rising population. There are also concerns over the quality of care and the shortage of psychiatrists and nurses. The NHS is trying to improve the quality of care by introducing new methods of work and delivering more training. It also introduces more efficient and safer methods to treat people in crisis including mobile crisis teams and secure areas.

Helping you

Since the NHS was established 70 years ago there have been positive developments for those with mental health issues. The options for treatment have grown and social barriers have been taken down. But there is more to be done.

People experiencing mental health issues need to be able to get the help they require quickly and easily. The NHS is striving to improve the quality of services to ensure that those in need receive them. In 2020/21, we will ensure that all acute hospitals have a mental health liaison service that is available in A&E and on wards for inpatients, and that 70% will meet the core 24 standard by 2023/24. We will then strive for 100 percent coverage.

We will also expand services for people who require them in the community, such as talking therapies, to give thousands of more patients with severe or common mental health conditions the assistance they require. We will continue to develop our national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme (IAPT) in order to ensure that more people suffering from mental health issues are seen faster by therapists who are qualified.

The NHS provides free, confidential helplines to anyone who is struggling with a mental health issue. These include the Samaritans and Mind and Rethink. These helplines are operated entirely by volunteers who provide the opportunity to talk in a secure environment or offer advice and guidance on how to manage your mental health issues.

There are also a number local organisations that can provide help and advice to those who suffer from mental health issues. These include self-help guides, coping strategies, and activities to try. Many of these organisations offer support groups that meet face-to-face for those who prefer it.

The University's Open Door Team offers a drop-in counseling service for students who are feeling down or stressed. Nightline is a student counselling service that offers private listening assistance, information and support from knowledgeable volunteers. mental illness assessment like Mind and Rethink are a great source of information and provide support in a variety of ways such as online and through 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 issues.

Referrals

With mental health services under pressure, doctors are forced to make difficult decisions regarding which specialist services they can refer patients to. The doctor will take the patient's medical history into account and then refer them to a service they believe will be able to help. They may send a referral to an NHS trust or an independent provider.

A mental health professional will then review the referral and decide whether it's appropriate or not. If the specialist doesn't like the referral, they will call the GP and explain their reasons. They may also request the GP for more details or to alter the referral.

The ability to refer patients to a local Community Mental Health Team can be made via the NHS e-Referral Service. The system lets doctors and other healthcare professionals send patients to either an initial clinical assessment service for mental health or directly to an appointment. Not all CMHTs offer both options and the system can't be used for all types of mental health referrals.


A doctor may also refer a patient to a community mental health specialist service (CMT). They are usually managed by a large hospital or local healthcare organisation. CMTs are a good choice for those who have to consult a psychologist or psychiatrist but do not require inpatient treatment. They can also provide an early intervention service, where a psychiatrist works with the psychotherapist to help a patient overcome a problem or improve their life quality.

One of the biggest challenges faced by a CMT is how to ensure that all suitable referrals are allocated within the appropriate timeframe. One of the issues is that a lot of referrals are deemed as urgent, even though they may not be. This can cause people who aren't in a crisis to be rushed and suffer delays.

To tackle this issue, a few CMHTs have tried to establish more uniform guidelines for what constitutes a referral urgent. This was accomplished by using an established form that asks the referrer if they believe the situation is urgent. The form includes a box for the referrer to tick when they believe that the referral is urgent.