Children's Mental Health Crisis: A&E Attendances Soar in England

A&E departments in England are facing an alarming increase in young people attending for mental health concerns, according to NHS doctors. Between 2019 and 2025, there was a 36% rise in attendances by children aged six to 17 for issues including self-harm, eating disorders, and emotional crises. This surge has led to some children enduring waits of over 12 hours in emergency settings.

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health analysis revealed that in 2025, 75,491 A&E visits were related to child mental health, up from 55,525 in 2019. The most pronounced increases were observed in very young children aged six to nine. Doctors stated that the lack of adequate community and crisis support forces these vulnerable young individuals and their families to rely on A&E as a last resort.

Medical professionals and mental health charities are calling this a national crisis, stressing that emergency departments are ill-equipped for prolonged mental health care. They advocate for greater investment in children's mental health services and improved training for staff across health, social care, and education sectors. The government has indicated plans to release a new mental health strategy soon, aiming to improve services and prevent children from reaching crisis point before receiving necessary support.