How is the NHS Innovating Mental Health Care?
The UK is currently in the grips of a mental health crisis, with more people than ever seeking support. The NHS has struggled to keep up with this increasing demand. To address the issue, the NHS has implemented a range of innovative strategies designed to improve the mental health care it can deliver.
To address this issue, the NHS has implemented a range of innovative strategies designed to improve the mental health care it can deliver. Health care is a constantly evolving field. This means that providers like the NHS must be at the forefront of new techniques and technologies.
On 30 October, the mental health charity Mind welcomed the UK government’s announcement of £26 million funding for new mental health crisis centres. In this article, we take a deep dive into exactly how the NHS is innovating mental health care.
1. Support Services
We have seen the NHS has adopted digital technologies to provide faster and more efficient mental health care. Patients can now consult doctors and therapists from their homes, reducing the need for physical visits. This is particularly helpful for patients that struggle with anxiety and would rather receive treatment in a place that feels comfortable and familiar.
Mobile health apps also assist patients in managing their medicines and accessing reliable information, leading to better communication and understanding between the patient and the healthcare provider. We use apps for everything these days, so utilising them for mental health purposes has proved to be a key innovation in the fight against the ongoing mental health crisis.
The NHS also offers the 111 phone line for urgent help with mental health. The number also offers urgent GP appointments. NHS.uk says, “You may be able to speak to a trained mental health professional over the phone.” The website also lists the Samaritans number, 116 123, and email, as well as the Shout Crisis Text Line (“SHOUT” to 85258).
Mind noted the need for further investment in mental health: “Mental health accounts for 20% of all ill health but only gets 10% of NHS spend.”
Likewise, the organisation Centre For Mental Health called for “bolder action to build a mentally healthier future for the UK.” They noted that mental ill health costs the economy and society “over £300 billion every year – double the entire NHS budget”.
2. Increased Awareness
Education and awareness are some of the most effective tools in the provision of mental health care. While a surgical retractor or a stethoscope might be used to diagnose and treat physical conditions, mental health issues can often be much more difficult to identify.
This is why education is so important. By raising awareness of common mental health issues and teaching people how to spot signs and symptoms in themselves and others, this can help reduce the number of people going without treatment. By treating these issues early, patients have improved outcomes, which in turn reduces the pressure placed on health services.
The NHS employs educational mental health practitioners (EMHPs) who provide support to children and young people in schools and colleges. EMHPs promote “approaches that improve emotional health and wellbeing” and advise education staff on supporting young people.
Social media has proved to be a particularly effective tool for raising awareness and educating people about mental health. Over the years, we’ve seen campaigns and brand partnerships designed to help people more effectively recognise the signs of a mental health issue and encourage them to seek treatment.
3. Personalised Healthcare
No two patients are the same, and this point is particularly salient when dealing with mental health. Patients often present with complex conditions; many have difficult backgrounds and often have physical problems alongside their mental health issues.
In recent times, the NHS has worked to review how it deals with patients on an individual basis. By looking at a patient’s entire history, and through communication with different departments and healthcare services, providers can build up a more comprehensive picture of a patient’s health and deliver more personalised, and therefore more effective, care programmes as a result.
The NHS Every Mind Matters programme is designed to offer personalised actions and tips to support mental health. The website features a short quiz of 5 questions to get a personalised Mind Plan with tips from mental health experts.
Final Thoughts
Innovation is the key in the fight against the mental health crisis, and the NHS is putting a number of innovative processes in place. These include a focus on digital health technologies, campaigns to educate and increase awareness and personalised healthcare programmes.
