England Emergency Departments See Surge in Children Facing Mental Health Crisis

England is facing what children’s doctors describe as a national crisis, with emergency departments experiencing a steep rise in youngsters seeking help for mental health emergencies. According to NHS figures analysed by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), overall mental health-related attendances for children and young people aged 6 to 17 increased by 36 per cent between 2019 and 2025. In 2025, 75,491 young people in that age group attended emergency departments with a recorded mental health concern, compared to 55,525 in 2019.

Surge in Children Seeking Emergency Mental Health Care

Medical professionals and experts point out that emergency rooms are unsuited for vulnerable youth. RCPCH officer for mental health Dr Sam Jones stated that a lack of wider mental health care and crisis support leaves families with nowhere else to turn. Behind every one of these figures is a child or young person in distress and a family who didn’t know where else to turn, Dr Jones said, noting that emergency departments were never designed as places where children in mental health crisis wait for days at a time.

Fastest Growth Among Youngest Children

The data reveals that the increase has been sharpest among the youngest patients. Attendances among children aged six to nine surged by 62 per cent over the same period, rising from 3,870 in 2019 to 6,269 in 2025 (The Sun). Children as young as six have been seeking help in A&E departments described by medical staff as noisy and brightly lit.

Professor Lynn Woolsey, chief nursing officer at the Royal College of Nursing, called the rising numbers a damning indictment of a failing system. The reality is that these places are wholly unsuitable for children in mental health distress, Professor Woolsey said, adding that long waits in noisy, bright environments can cause struggling children to deteriorate further. Medics report that children arriving at casualty may be dealing with self-harm, suicidal thoughts, anxiety, bad behaviour, or medical emergencies related to eating disorders.

Extended Waits and Systemic Pressures

The data also highlights significant increases in the amount of time children spend waiting in emergency departments. According to the Mirror, the number of children and young people staying more than 12 hours in A&E rose by 217 per cent, climbing from 1,964 in 2019 to 6,235 in 2025. Furthermore, stays exceeding 72 hours jumped by 514 per cent, going from 55 instances in 2019 to 338 in 2025.

NHS England said that patients should continue to attend all planned appointments — Photo: Irishnews

Gemma Byrne from the mental health charity Mind noted that making children spend more than 12 hours in an A&E environment is unacceptable, pointing out that current services often only provide support when young people are considered ill enough to qualify. Similarly, Dr Mark Buchanan of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine stated that children facing a mental health crisis are ending up in casualty by default rather than receiving care in appropriate settings.

Government Plans and Proposed Solutions

As a Government-commissioned review into ADHD, autism, and mental health services approaches publication, health advocates are pressing for structural changes. Experts advocate for expanding community-based support, rolling out more youth hubs, and increasing investment in specialist roles such as school nurses, health visitors, and mental health nurses.

A young girl stands at a window and looks out on to a neighbourhood — Photo: bbc.co.uk

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman stated that improvements are already underway through investments in mental health teams for schools and more than 150 new community mental health hubs located in places like banks and libraries, adding that the government plans to publish a new mental health strategy later in the summer.