England facing children’s mental health ‘crisis’ as referrals hit 1m | Mental health
More than 1 million children were referred to mental health services across England last year, a 10% increase on the previous year, according to a report by children’s commissioner Rachel de Souza. He said the country was facing a “crisis” in young people’s mental health.
The number of patients actively referred to children and young people’s mental health services across England will exceed 1 million for the first time in 2024-25. This was almost double the figure recorded in 2018-19 and was up almost 10% on the previous year.
De Souza said that “the fact that the numbers in this report are clear cannot be hidden.”
Anxiety remained the most common reason for referrals, accounting for 16% of them.
Minesh Patel, associate director of evidence, advocacy and performance at Mind, said: “The scale of demand and unmet need revealed in this report is extremely worrying. “With more than 1 million children currently referred to mental health services, but many waiting months or years for support, it is clear that the system is struggling to respond to the mental health challenges experienced by young people.
“It is particularly concerning that more than a third of children are still waiting for treatment, many for more than two years. As young people go without quality mental health support, they are more likely to fall ill, making them more likely to need access to crisis and emergency response services. Deterioration in a young person’s mental health can also have serious impacts on their relationships, education and future opportunities.”
He added: “The UK government’s upcoming mental health strategy is a pivotal opportunity to transform the mental health of the next generation. This requires a shift towards responsive, tailored and person-centred mental health support that ensures all young people have access to high-quality conversations about their mental health needs at the moments that matter most.”
The report also found that increasing demand for mental health services for children is driven in part by an increase in referrals for suspected autism and neurodevelopmental conditions, with these children most likely to face the longest waits.
Previous research by the Royal College of Nursing found that children and young people experiencing a mental health crisis in England spent up to three days in an emergency unit before being given a bed in a specialist unit.
The analysis also found that although more children were waiting in the system and proportionately fewer children had their referrals closed, the number of those waiting longer for support rose in 2024-25. The number of children waiting for support for more than two years was more than 60,000; This is up from last year’s more than 44,000 children.
“These are not just numbers, these are children whose lives have been put on hold, waiting for months, and in some cases years, for the support they urgently need,” De Souza added.
“While there have been some encouraging signs in the past year with more children receiving support, it is hard to ignore the enormous challenge facing mental health services as demand outstrips system capacity and funding.
“Our perspective on supporting young people’s mental health must change; we cannot address mental health in isolation; improving children’s wellbeing requires action across government.
“There also needs to be a change in the way we approach children’s mental health, with a greater focus on combined services across health, education and social care to ensure children get the help they need in schools and in the community. Only then will we ask ‘What’s the problem?’ Instead of asking the question ‘How can we help?’ “We will stop asking the question.”
The Ministry of Health and Social Services has been approached for comment.
