20 Things You Should Know About Mental Health Services NHS Mental Health Services on the NHS

The NHS has responded to the increase in mental health issues by offering services. This includes:

The Long Term Plan reaffirmed its commitment to invest more in mental health services faster than overall NHS budget. This includes the work of a specialist in suicide prevention.

Get assistance

One in four of us will suffer from a mental health problem at some time in our lives. The good news is that there are a variety of different options to seek help, and most people recover with time. It is essential to know what assistance is available, and who can provide it.


You can seek assistance from your doctor, your local health center or a mental health team in your area. These teams are comprised of occupational therapists, nurses psychotherapists, psychotherapists and speech and language therapists who work together with those who utilize the service. You can get individual or group therapy depending on the kind of help you need.

Your GP will usually require you to fill out a form so that they can send you a referral to a local mental health team. They will also talk to you about what kind of help you need. Then, you will be viewed by a member of a mental health team that could include a psychiatrist, psychologist or social worker. In some cases your evaluation and treatment will be carried out by a specialist in clinical nursing. If you're in an emergency, you can contact the NHS 111 helpline for urgent assistance. If you are already receiving mental health services it is recommended to contact your regular team first, unless it is out of hours, on a weekend or a bank holiday.

The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health detailed plans to establish multidisciplinary mental health teams in the community which are connected to primary care networks. These teams will increase the quality of the care delivered to people experiencing a crisis, and provide support to those in their homes and community rather than in hospitals.

The plan aims to make emergency services available by decreasing waiting times and opening more beds. It also proposes a mental transport vehicle and ensure that all ambulances are stocked with a mental liaison nurse within the control room to improve how patients who are suffering from mental illness are supported during emergency situations.

Treatment options

The NHS provides a wide range of treatment options for mental health issues. Disorders that are less severe are usually treated by GPs, while more serious conditions require specialists. These teams are located in both community and primary health services for mental health and psychiatric hospitals. You can also seek help in a secure space if you feel in crisis.

Talking therapies are one of the most commonly used forms of treatment for depression and anxiety. These programs, previously known as IAPT (Interactive Assessment and Psychotherapy) have seen their numbers of clients increase each year since they were introduced in 2008. The NHS Long Term Plan commits to expanding these services to ensure that 1.9 million people will be able to use them by 2023/2024.

Psychiatric medicines are also an important component of treatment. They can alleviate symptoms by changing the way chemicals work in your brain. They can also help reduce the effects of other treatments. Your doctor will recommend the best medication for you.

There are many kinds of talk therapies, such as individual therapy and group therapy. perinatal mental health assessment of these treatments are offered in person, while other are available online. Some patients prefer treatment in person, but that is a personal preference. There are a variety of charities that offer classes and support groups like Mind. Their website is full of trustworthy information, but you should be aware that there is a lot of misleading or false information on the internet about mental health issues.

The NHS is advancing the mental health system, but it struggles to meet the demands. In the UK, there are 54 mental trusts. Most of them receive funding for their services from clinical commissioning group. They typically are located in a specific region however, they can also be commissioned to deliver national services.

The lack of resources is a major problem. There are concerns over the quality and shortage of nurses and psychiatrists. The NHS is working to improve the services by introducing new ways of work and delivering more training. It also provides more secure and efficient ways to help people in crisis. These include mobile crisis teams and safe space.

We are here to help you

Since the NHS was launched 70 years ago there have been a lot of positive changes for people with mental health issues. The options for treatment have grown and social barriers have been broken down. But there is more to be done.

People who are experiencing a mental crisis need to receive the help they require quickly and easily. The NHS is working to improve services to ensure that those who need them receive them. We will ensure that every acute hospital does not have a mental health liaison in A&E departments and wards for patients by 2020/21. We will also ensure that 70 percent of these services will be in line with the 'core 24' standard by 2023/24. Then we will work towards 100% coverage thereafter.

We will also expand services for those who require them in the community, which includes talking therapies, to give hundreds of thousands of patients with severe or common mental health conditions the support they need. We will continue to work on the national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme so that more people are visited by therapists who are qualified, more quickly.

The NHS offers confidential, free assistance to anyone suffering from mental health issues. These include the Samaritans and Mind and Rethink. These helplines are operated entirely by volunteers who provide a safe place to talk or give advice and information about how to handle your mental health concerns.

There are also local organizations that provide assistance and support to those suffering from mental health issues. Self-help guides, coping techniques and activities can be included. Many of these organizations provide support groups in person to those who prefer it.

The University's Open Door Team offers a drop-in counseling service for students struggling or stressed. There is also the Nightline student counselling service, which provides confidential listening and support from skilled volunteers, or details about other services. Charities such as Mind and Rethink can provide an abundance of information and assistance, both on the internet and in local groups. They can offer a range of classes and activities, including mindfulness classes to art classes that are beneficial for those with mental health issues.

Referrals

Mental health services are under strain and GPs have to make difficult choices about the best specialist services to refer their patients to. The GP will take a patient's medical history into account and then refer them to a specialist they think will be able to help. They can send a referral to an NHS trust, or to an independent provider.

A mental health professional will assess the referral to determine if it is appropriate or not. If the specialist isn't pleased with the referral they will call the GP to discuss their decision and explain why. They might request the GP to change the referral or ask for more details.

Referrals to the local Community Mental Health Team can be made via the NHS e-Referral Service. The system lets doctors and other healthcare professionals to refer patients to either a preliminary assessment service for mental health or directly to an appointment. However there are some exceptions. CMHTs provide both options, and the system can't be used for every kind of mental health referral.

A GP may also refer patients to a community mental health specialist service (CMT). These are usually run either by an extensive hospital or a local healthcare organisation. CMTs are a great option for those who want to consult a qualified psychiatrist or psychologist but don't need inpatient treatment. They also offer an early intervention service, where a psychiatrist will work with a therapist to help a person overcome a crisis or improve their quality of life.

CMTs have the responsibility of ensuring that all referrals are made within a reasonable amount of time. Many referrals are considered urgent, even though they might not be. This can lead to delays and over-working for those who are not in crisis.

To address this issue, some CMHTs are trying to establish more consistent standards for what is considered an urgent referral. This was achieved through a standardised form that asks the referrer to indicate if the case is urgent. The form has a checkbox that the referrer has to check when the request is urgent.