Mental Health Services on the NHS The NHS has responded to the rising number of mental health issues by providing services. This includes: The Long Term Plan has made an unrepeatable commitment to increase the investment in mental health services more quickly than the NHS budget overall. This includes specialist work in suicide prevention. Helping yourself One of four people will be affected by mental illness at one time in their lives. The good news is there are many ways to get assistance, and the majority of us will improve over time. But it's important to know what assistance is available, and who is able to provide it. You can get help from your GP or your local health center, or a mental health team within your community. These teams consist of occupational therapists, nurses, 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 fill out a form from your GP so they can refer you to a mental health service in the community. They will also ask you to specify what kind of support you need. Then, you will be viewed by someone from a mental health team that could include a psychiatrist, social worker or psychologist. In certain instances your evaluation and treatment will be conducted by a clinical nurse specialist. You can call the NHS 111 helpline if you are in crisis. If you already receive support for your mental health it is recommended to contact your regular 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 place-based, multidisciplinary community mental health teams that have links to primary care networks. These teams will improve the quality of the mental health services provided to those in crisis, and provide support to those within their communities and at home instead of in hospitals. The plan also aimed at 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 an official who is a mental health liaison in their control rooms to improve the way people suffering from an illness of mental health are supported in emergency situations. Treatment options The NHS offers a variety of treatment options to treat mental health conditions. GPs are often able to treat milder conditions, but more severe conditions will require the assistance of a specialist team. These teams operate in both community and primary health services for mental health as well as psychiatric hospitals. You can also seek assistance in a secure environment when you are in a crisis. Talking therapies are among the most popular forms of treatment for anxiety and depression. These programs, previously referred to as IAPT (Interactive Assessment and Psychotherapy) have seen their referral numbers increase each year since they were launched in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan has committed to expanding these services to 1.9 million people by 2023/2024. Psychiatric medicines are also an important component of treatment. They can help alleviate symptoms by changing the way chemicals work in your brain. They can also help minimize the adverse effects of other treatments. Your doctor will prescribe the appropriate medication for you. There are many kinds of talking therapies, including group therapy and individual therapy. Some of these can be delivered in person, but others can be done via a remote device. Some patients prefer treatment in person, but that is a personal preference. Mind is one of many charities that provide support groups and classes. The website contains a wealth of reliable information, but be aware that there are a lot of false or misleading statements that are posted on the internet about mental health issues. While the NHS is working to improve its mental health care but it's still struggling to cope with demand. There are 54 mental health trusts across the UK and the majority of are funded by clinical commissioning organizations to deliver their service. They typically are located in a specific area however, they may be contracted to provide national services. The absence of resources is a major issue. There are also concerns over the quality of care, and there is a shortage of psychiatrists and nurses. The NHS is striving to improve its services by introducing new methods of work and delivering more training. It also provides safer and more effective ways to help people in crisis. This includes mobile crisis teams and secure space. Helping you Since the NHS was launched 70 years ago there have been positive developments for those suffering from mental health issues. The treatment options have gotten better and social barriers have been taken down. However, there is still much to be done. 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 are able to access help. By 2020/21 we will ensure that all acute hospitals have a mental health liaison service that is available in A&E as well as on wards for patients, and that 70% of them will be in compliance with the core 24 standard by 2023/24. We will then strive to achieve 100% coverage. We will also enhance community services, including talking therapy, to provide support for hundreds of thousands of people with mental health issues 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 conditions can be seen more quickly by therapists who are qualified. https://www.iampsychiatry.com/booking-private-mental-health-assessment offers confidential, free helplines to those suffering from mental health issues. Samaritans Mind and Rethink are some of the helplines that are available. These helplines are operated entirely by volunteers who offer an environment where you can talk to someone in a safe manner or give advice and information on how to deal your mental health concerns. There are a variety of local organizations that provide assistance and support to those who suffer from mental health issues. They can provide self-help guides, coping strategies, and activities to try. Many of these organizations provide support groups in person to those who would prefer it. For students, there's the University's Open Door Team which offers a drop-in counselling service for those who are feeling depressed or stressed. Nightline is a student counselling service that provides confidential listening, support and information from experienced volunteers. Charities such as Mind and Rethink are a excellent source of information and can provide support in a variety of ways, including online and through local groups. They can provide a variety of classes and activities, from mindfulness to art classes, which are beneficial for those with mental health issues. Referring someone to you Mental health services are under pressure and GPs must make difficult decisions about which specialist services they should refer their patients to. The doctor will take the patient's medical history into consideration and then refer them to a service they believe will be able to help. They might send a referral to an NHS trust or an independent provider. A mental health specialist will then evaluate the referral and decide if it's appropriate or not. If the specialist isn't pleased with the referral, they'll contact the GP to discuss their decision and explain the reason. They can also request the GP for more information or to change the referral. Requests for a local Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) can be made through the NHS e-Referral Service (e-RS). The system allows GPs and other healthcare professionals to refer patients to either a pre-mental health clinical assessment or directly to an outpatient appointment. Not all CMHTs offer both options and the system is not able to be used for all kinds of mental health referrals. A doctor may refer a patient to a community mental health specialist service (CMT). They are usually managed by an enormous hospital or a local healthcare organisation. CMTs are a good choice for those who have to visit a psychologist or psychiatrist, but do not require inpatient treatment. They also offer an early intervention service where a psychiatrist works with the therapist to help a person overcome a problem or improve their quality of life. One of the biggest challenges that CMTs CMT is ensuring that all suitable referrals are made within an appropriate time frame. Many referrals are deemed urgent even though they may not be. This can cause patients who aren't in a crisis to be overwhelmed and suffer delays. To address this issue, some CMHTs are trying to establish more consistent standards for what constitutes an urgent referral. This has been achieved through the use of the standardised referral forma that requires a referrer to decide if the situation is urgent. The proforma has a box that the referrer is able to tick to indicate if the request is urgent.