Health

A&E visits for children in mental health crises rise 36% in England, analysis shows

NHS data reveals more than 75,000 emergency attendances in 2025, with doctors citing severe shortages in community support.

Updated Sep 2, 2026 · 00:18 UTC1 reports

The short version

Emergency department attendances for children and adolescents aged six to 17 experiencing mental health crises rose 36% between 2019 and 2025 in England.
Data obtained by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health shows over 6,200 young patients waited more than 12 hours in A&E during 2025.
Medical experts and mental health charities warn that emergency rooms are ill-suited for pediatric mental health care, blaming inadequate community support.
The government plans to publish an updated mental health strategy later in the summer while citing ongoing investments in school teams and local hubs.

Freedom of Information data from NHS England showed mental health-related A&E attendances among individuals aged six to 17 increased from 55,525 in 2019 to 75,491 in 2025.[BBC News]
The 36% rise in youth mental health A&E attendances significantly exceeded the broader 8% rise in overall emergency department attendances across the same six-year span.[BBC News]
Some of the largest percentage increases in attendances occurred among children aged six to nine.[BBC News]
Roughly 8% of young patients—more than 6,200 individuals—waited in excess of 12 hours in A&E departments in 2025.[BBC News]
The Department of Health and Social Care stated it is funding school mental health teams, introducing over 150 community hubs, and preparing a new mental health strategy for release later in the summer.[BBC News]

The specific policies, funding levels, and timeline of the government's upcoming mental health strategy remain unfinalized ahead of its summer publication.[BBC News]