Three Reasons Why You're Mental Health Services NHS Is Broken (And How To Fix It)
Mental Health Services on the NHS
There has been an enormous rise in people seeking help for mental health issues, and the NHS has responded by providing services. This includes:
The Long Term Plan has made a renewed commitment to grow the investment in mental health services quicker than the NHS budget overall. This includes specialist suicide prevention work.
Getting help
One in four people will suffer from a mental illness at some time in their lives. The good news is that there are plenty of different options to seek help, and most people recover after a while. However, it is important to know what help is available and who can provide it.
You can seek assistance from a variety of sources, including your GP (primary medical doctor who treats patients) as well as your local health center or a community mental health team. These teams comprise of nurses, occupational and psychotherapists and speech therapists. They work with the people who use their services. You can get individual or group therapy based on the type of assistance you require.
Your GP will typically ask you to fill in the form to refer you to a local mental health team. They will also talk to you about the type of assistance you require. You will be consulted by a member of a mental team like psychologist, psychiatrist or social worker. In some cases, your assessment and treatment will be conducted by a specialist in clinical nursing. You can call the NHS 111 helpline if you are in crisis. If you are already receiving support for your mental health it is recommended to contact your primary team first, unless out of office hours, on a weekend or bank holiday.
The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health outlined plans to create more multidisciplinary, community-based, place-based mental health teams, with connections to primary care networks. These teams will increase the quality of the care provided to those in crisis, and will provide assistance to patients within their communities and at home instead of in hospitals.
The plan also aimed to help make crisis services more accessible by reducing wait times and allowing more beds. It would also introduce mental health transport vehicles, and ensure that all ambulances have a mental health liaison nurse in their control rooms to ensure 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 minor conditions, but more severe issues will require the assistance of a specialist team. These teams are spread across primary and community mental health services and also psychiatric hospitals. There are also safe places where you can get help when you're in a crisis.
Talking therapies are one of the most popular forms of treatment for anxiety and depression. These programs, previously referred to as IAPT (Interactive Assessment and Psychotherapy) have seen their numbers of clients increase each year since they launched in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan commits to expanding these programs so that 1.9 million people will be able to use them by 2023/2024.
Psychiatric medicines are also a crucial element of treatment. They can alleviate symptoms by altering the way chemicals work in your brain. They can also help minimize the adverse effects of other treatments. Your doctor will prescribe the right medicine for you.
A wide variety of talking therapy treatments are available including group therapy and individual therapy. Some of these therapies are offered in person, while other can be performed online. Some patients prefer face-to face treatment, but it's a matter of choice. There are a variety of charities that offer classes and support groups, such as Mind. Their website is full of trustworthy information, but you should be aware that there is lots of misleading or false information available on the internet regarding mental health issues.
The NHS is improving the quality of mental health care, but it's struggling to meet the demands. There are 54 mental health trusts across the UK and the majority of them receive funding from clinical commissioning groups to deliver their services. They are usually located in a specific region however, they can also be commissioned to deliver national services.
The absence 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 these services by providing more training and introducing new methods of working. It also offers safer and more effective methods of treating those who are in crisis. These include mobile crisis teams and secure spaces.
Helping you
Since the NHS was established 70 years ago, there have been many positive developments for those suffering from mental health problems. Treatment options have expanded and social barriers are being taken down. But there is much more to be done.
People experiencing mental health issues need to be able to access the assistance they require quickly and easily. That's why the NHS is working hard to improve the services available to those who need them. We will ensure that every acute hospital does not have the mental health liaison service in A&E departments and inpatient wards by 2020/21, and that 70 percent of these services will be in line with the "core 24" standard by 2023/24. We will work towards a 100% coverage rate after that.
We will also enhance community services, including talk therapy, in order to provide support for hundreds of thousands of individuals suffering from mental health conditions regardless of whether they are serious or common. We will continue to work on our national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies program (IAPT) in order to ensure that more people suffering from mental health problems can be seen more quickly by trained therapists.
The NHS offers free, confidential helplines to anyone who is struggling with a mental health issue. These include the Samaritans and Mind and Rethink. These helplines are run by volunteers who provide an environment where you can talk to someone in a safe manner or offer advice and guidance on how to manage your mental health concerns.
In addition, there are a number of local organisations which can offer support and guidance for those suffering from mental health issues. Self-help guides, coping methods and activities can be included. Many of these organizations also provide support groups in person for those who prefer this method.
The University's Open Door Team offers a drop-in counseling service for students who are experiencing stress or depression. Nightline is a student counselling service that offers private listening, support and information from experienced volunteers. Charities such as Mind and Rethink can provide a wealth of information and support, both on the internet and in local groups. They offer a variety of courses and activities including mindfulness classes to art classes that can be beneficial for those suffering from mental health issues.
Referrals
With mental health services under pressure, doctors are forced to make difficult choices about what specialist services they should refer patients to. The doctor will take a patient's medical history into consideration and then refer them to a specialist they think can assist. They might send a referral to an NHS trust or an independent service.
A mental health professional will then evaluate the referral and decide if it's appropriate or not. If the specialist isn't pleased with the referral they will contact the GP to discuss their decision and provide why. They might also ask the GP to modify the referral or request additional information.
Requests for 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 health professionals to refer people to either a preliminary mental health clinical assessment or directly to an appointment with an outpatient. However, not all CMHTs offer both options and the system can't be used for every type of mental health referral.
A GP may also refer a patient to a community mental health specialist service (CMT). They are typically run by a major local healthcare organization or hospital. CMTs are a great alternative for those looking to see an experienced psychiatrist or psychologist but don't need inpatient treatment. They also offer an early intervention service where a psychiatrist works with a psychotherapist to help a patient overcome a crisis or improve their quality of life.
More Information and facts of ensuring that all referrals are made within a reasonable time. One of the problems is that a lot of referrals are deemed urgent, even though they might not be. This can cause people who aren't in a crisis to be overwhelmed and suffer delays.
To combat this problem, a few CMHTs have tried to establish more uniform guidelines for what constitutes a referral urgent. This is being achieved by using a standardised referral proforma that requires a referrer consider whether the case is urgent. The form includes a box for the referrer to check when they believe the referral is urgent.