The number of children referred to emergency mental health services in England has risen by more than 50% in three years, according to data exposing the impact of long waiting lists for mainstream NHS treatment.
There were 32,521 emergency and urgent referrals to child and adolescent mental health crisis teams in 2022-23, an analysis of official data by the Royal College of Psychiatrists shows. In 2019-2020, the year before the Covid pandemic, this number was 21,242.
The increase means that more than 600 mentally ill children per week are deteriorating to the point of reaching crisis point.
Many of the children who need emergency care – some suicidal or seriously ill due to an eating disorder – are on waiting lists for an average of five months, and in the worst cases even two years, the council said.
MPs and health leaders said the NHS figures revealed a “devastating explosion” of untreated serious mental health problems among children and should be a wake-up call for the Government. There was now a serious risk that the alarming increase in the number of children reaching crisis point before they could access help would become “the new normal”, she added.
“No one should have to watch their child’s mental health deteriorate while they wait for care,” the president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, Dr Lade Smith, told the Guardian. “It is completely unacceptable that this is the reality that so many families face.”
Ministers must take urgent action to provide targeted support to every child in need of mental health care and “turn the tide” of the country’s growing mental health crisis, Smith said.
“We want to provide young people with effective care as soon as they need it, and not once they have already developed a serious illness that could have been prevented,” she added.
“We therefore need to see the government focus on prevention and reversing the rising rates of mental illness, and ensure adequate resources for specialist services.”
Record numbers of children and young people are seeking help for psychological problems. In 2022 alone, 1.4 million people were referred to child and adolescent mental health services (Camhs) for treatment of anxiety, depression, eating disorders and other psychological problems.
But with demand for mental health care and support for children soaring, Camh’s teams are struggling to see or treat children quickly enough. Experts say this is leading to thousands of under-18s becoming even sicker while on waiting lists, leading to a 53% increase in emergencies and urgent referrals for Camhs crisis care.
Normally an emergency referral is made if a child needs to be seen within 24 hours. They may pose a risk to themselves due to suicidal feelings, be at significant health risk due to an illness such as anorexia or have another serious mental illness, experts said.
Emergency referrals to Camhs are usually made by GPs and A&E doctors, where increasing numbers of mentally ill children are arriving with nowhere else to turn, although schools and social services can also do this.
Dr. Elaine Lockhart, chair of the university’s child and adolescent faculty, said: “It is unacceptable that so many children and young people reach a crisis point before they can access care. We cannot allow this to become the new normal.
“Serious mental illness is not just a problem for adults. The need for specialized mental health care for children and young people is constantly growing.”
Many of the conditions that occur in children could be prevented or treated if quick support and access to care were available, Lockhart said.
“The evidence shows that children who receive early support are less likely to develop long-term conditions that negatively impact their education, social development and health later in life.
“Government and integrated care boards must commit to reducing the number of mental health conditions among children by setting an achievable target. This must be supported by an expansion of the mental health workforce and additional funding for services.”
The council last year welcomed the government’s announcement of an additional £5 million to improve access to early support centers for people aged 11 to 25.
But it said an additional £125 million to £205 million would be needed to establish hubs in each local authority, with running costs of at least £114 million a year.
“Every young person should be able to access the help they need, when they need it,” said Laura Bunt, chief executive of children’s mental health charity YoungMinds. “The government must prioritize the mental health of young people and make it much easier for them to get support.”
Daisy Cooper MP, Lib Dem health spokesperson, said: “This devastating explosion in mental health problems among children should be a wake-up call to the Government. Conservative ministers have neglected children’s mental health during and after the pandemic, pushing mental health services and families into crisis.”
NHS England said it was treating more young people than ever before and was expanding mental health services as quickly as possible to meet increasing demand.
A spokesperson said: “Early support for children and young people with mental health problems is a priority for the NHS, and plans are in place to ensure more than one in two pupils and pupils in schools and colleges are covered by NHS support for mental health care. team by spring 2025 – significantly more than the original target.”
The Department of Health and Social Care said it was committed to supporting children with their mental health, investing an additional £2.3 billion a year in NHS mental health services.
“This funding will also help increase the number of mental health teams in schools to reach at least 50% of pupils in England by the end of March 2025,” a spokesperson added.