In England, analysis of NHS data by the mental health charity Young Minds shows that the number of children in mental health crisis has reached record levels.
This year for the first time, urgent referrals of under-18 to mental health crisis teams reached to more than 3,500, which is three times higher than 2019.
These are children with the most severe mental health symptoms, who may need to go to hospital for psychosis, severe self-harm or suicide attempts.
In addition to the 3,732 urgent referrals, the NHS monthly data says that the number of children and young individuals are undergoing treatment or waiting to start care also reached new records, with 466,250 open referrals to children and young people’s mental health services (CAMHS)
Chief executive of Young Minds Laura Bunt said, the figures were indicative of a system which is broken and a government that has refused to listen to young individuals demanding change.
The government must get a grip on the scale of this crisis since we are presently in a mental health emergency. To access help many young individuals are having to wait months and years, while many others are told that, they don’t meet the threshold for a referral to mental health services. No young person should be left waiting for help, while their mental health worsens.
Dr. Elaine Lockhart, the chair of the Royal College Psychiatrists faculty of child and adolescent psychiatry said, the mental health crisis was having a disturbing effect on the welfare of our children and young people.
To meet this rise in demand, services are doing their best for treatment but a lack of staff and resources are making it difficult for them to see patients quickly. This is contributing to a harmful spiral in which many young individuals are being placed on long waiting lists, which can lead to their symptoms becoming more serious over time and them eventually presenting to services in crisis.
The children’s commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza said, I am worried about these latest figures. We must make sure that children get early support and that care is available to all children who need it and in a timely manner. By the end of 2025, I need to see mental health support teams delivered in every school and a clear-eyed focus on the specific needs of children in government mental health investment.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said, to boost children’s mental health support, we’re investing record sums of funding and extending coverage of mental health support teams to at least 50% of students in England by the end of March 2025.
By March 2024, an additional £2.3bn will be invested a year in NHS mental services. So, an additional 345,000 children and young people will soon be able to access NHS-funded mental health support.
