‘Mental health emergency’ as urgent referrals for under 18s triple

England is facing a “mental health emergency”, a charity has warned, after figures revealed the number of children and young people referred to crisis care teams has tripled in four years.

YoungMinds also called on the Government “take action” on the “rapidly escalating” situation.

Analysis of NHS England data by the charity found there were 3,732 urgent referrals to mental health services for under 18s at the end of May.

It is more than triple the 1,322 urgent referrals recorded for that age group in May 2019.

Laura Bunt, chief executive of YoungMinds, said the statistics “should sound the alarm”.

“They are indicative of a system that is broken and a Government that has refused to listen to young people demanding change,” she added.

We are now in a mental health emergency and the Government must get a grip on the scale of this crisis

“We are now in a mental health emergency and the Government must get a grip on the scale of this crisis.

“Behind these numbers are young people who urgently need support, dealing with a unique set of pressures for a generation growing up – living through a pandemic, a cost-of-living crisis and ongoing global instability. The systems there to support them are struggling to respond.

“Many young people are having to wait months and years to access help, while many others are told 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.”

It comes after the Department of Health and Social Care published an interim report on its Major Conditions Strategy.

The blueprint will outline ways to effectively manage six disease groups – cancer, cardiovascular disease including stroke and diabetes, musculoskeletal conditions, chronic respiratory diseases, mental health conditions and dementia – and tackle health inequalities.

Young people and families need decisive action – not sticking plaster solutions and further delays

The illnesses “account for over 60% of ill health and early death in England”, according to the Government, while patients with two or more conditions account for about 50% of hospital admissions, outpatient visits and primary care consultations.

A call for evidence on the strategy was launched in May, with Health Secretary Steve Barclay saying the “wide-ranging engagement has provided food for thought”.

The findings will help shape the final strategy in the remainder of 2023 and into 2024.

YoungMinds said the Major Conditions Strategy must tackle the “alarming figures” published last week and called on the Government to “take action on a rapidly escalating crisis”.

Ms Bunt said: “Young people and families need decisive action – not sticking plaster solutions and further delays.

“That starts with prioritising young people’s mental health, including providing early support in communities, increasing help in schools and reducing waiting times.

“We need to see a clear plan and a firm commitment from the Government to drive down prevalence and address the root causes of the youth mental health crisis.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We’re investing record sums of funding to boost children’s mental health support, and we’re extending coverage of mental health support teams to at least 50% of pupils in England by the end of March 2025.

“We’re also investing an additional £2.3 billion a year in NHS mental health services by March 2024, so an additional 345,000 children and young people will be able to access NHS-funded mental health support quicker.”