Children as young as six are suffering mental health crises and turning to A&E for help after failing to get care elsewhere, devastating new figures reveal.
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) said it is ‘deeply alarming’ that record numbers of young people are finding themselves in such dire need, causing a ‘scandal’ that many are then forced to spend days in hospital waiting for care.
The analysis shows that the number of children in England going to A&E after reaching ‘crisis point’ has risen by more than a third in seven years.
Meanwhile, the number of patients experiencing ‘extremely long’ waiting times in A&E has tripled – including hundreds waiting longer than three days.
The RCPCH figures anticipate a study commissioned by the government ADHDautism and mental health, which is expected to be published soon.
In 2025, 75,491 patients aged six to 17 attended A&E with a recorded mental health problem in England in 2025, compared to 55,525 in 2019, according to the RCPCH analysis of NHS Data from England released under freedom of information laws.
This represents a 36 percent increase in pediatric psychiatric emergency visits since 2019.
The increase is fastest among children aged six to nine – with the number of emergency visits due to mental health concerns rising by 62 per cent among this age group, from 3,870 in 2019 to 6,269 in 2025.
The number of children going to A&E in England after reaching ‘crisis point’ has risen by more than a third in seven years
The paediatricians said this is ‘particularly concerning given the fragile nature of young children’s neurological development and the potential for these children to suffer longer term without early intervention’.
The number of children and young people staying in emergency departments for more than 12 hours has increased from 1,964 in 2019 to 6,235 in 2025.
And the number waiting three or more days for appropriate mental health care and a safe place to be discharged rose from 55 to 338.
RCPCH warned that emergency care is not designed to meet the needs of children and young people in a mental health crisis.
It has called on the government to use the upcoming mental health strategy to focus on prevention and better access to early support so that fewer children reach crisis point.
Dr. Sam Jones, mental health officer at RCPCH, said: “Behind all these figures is a child or young person in need, and a family who didn’t know where else to turn.
‘Emergency rooms are an essential safety net, but they were never designed as a place where children in a mental health crisis have to wait for days.
‘Our healthcare system is under increasing pressure.
Dr. Ronny Cheung, RCPCH health officer, said the findings “should be a wake-up call for the government.”
“More children are reaching a crisis point, and when they do, they wait longer, often much longer, for the help they need, despite the best efforts of pediatricians to care for these children.
‘This is a national crisis that will only get worse without urgent intervention from government and NHS leaders.
‘No child should have to spend twelve hours or more in the emergency room, let alone waiting days to weeks for the right support. The scandal must end.”
Dr. Ronny Cheung, RCPCH health officer, added: “This should be a wake-up call for the government.
‘The growing number of children reaching a crisis point in their mental health is very alarming, especially among younger children.
‘Without urgent action to deliver support sooner, we risk piling up serious problems for the future, including more young people leaving education, employment and training, when poor mental health is already a key driver.
‘Tackling children’s mental health must be at the heart of any plan to improve life chances and opportunities.
‘The Prime Minister and the Minister of Health must urgently explain how they want to tackle the crisis.’
Gemma Byrne, from mental health charity Mind, said: ‘First aid can be a frightening environment for anyone in a mental health crisis, let alone a child.
‘It’s just unacceptable to have them spend more than 12 hours there.
‘The fact that children and young people are presenting to A&E for their mental health in the first place shows that they are not getting the support they need early enough.
‘The current system, where many mental health services only provide support if young people are deemed ‘unwell enough’ to qualify, is clearly not working.
“We need to move to a model of open access to same-day mental health care, where anyone who needs help can get quality care right away.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: ‘No child should have to reach a point of crisis before they get the support they need.
‘That’s why we’re making it easier to access mental health care in schools and colleges, and opening more than 150 new mental health settings, including community centers offering same-day walk-in support – to help young people get help earlier and closer to home.
‘Later this year, our Mental Health Strategy will set out our long-term plans to build a system that helps people sooner and ensures fewer young people end up needing emergency care.’
