England Child Mental Health A&E Visits Jump 36% to 75,491 as 8% Wait Over 12 Hours
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Sep 1
England Child Mental Health A&E Visits Jump 36% to 75,491 as 8% Wait Over 12 Hours
1 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Sep 1
Summary
75,491 children aged 6 to 17 attended A&E in England for mental health concerns in 2025, up from 55,525 in 2019, with some of the steepest rises among six- to nine-year-olds.
RCPCH said weak community and crisis support is pushing children into emergency departments by default for self-harm, eating disorders and severe emotional distress, even though A&E is not designed for that care.
More than 6,200 attendances—about 8%—involved waits longer than 12 hours, which doctors and charities said can leave vulnerable children in a frightening and unsuitable setting.
The rise far outpaced the roughly 8% increase in overall A&E attendances over the same period, intensifying calls for earlier intervention, better staff training and expanded community-based hubs.
The government said it is improving services through school mental health teams and more than 150 community hubs, with a new mental health strategy due later this summer.