News

Mental health crisis: Sharp rise in young people attending A&E

As the number of young people going to A&E with mental health problems rises, a study has spelt out the postcode lottery of early support that exists across the country.
Image: Adobe Stock - Image: Adobe Stock

The report (Crenna-Jennings et al, 2024) finds “substantial variation” in the range of mental health support available for young people – with no obvious link between the support on offer and the level of need, including factors like population levels and deprivation.

This comes at a time when around 150,000 young people aged 11 to 25 attended A&E for mental health reasons in the space of 12 months – a 20% rise in the last six years.

The report has been published by the Education Policy Institute (EPI) and considers the availability of non-specialist mental health services – those delivered outside of NHS mental health settings – for children and young people.

Register now, read forever

Thank you for visiting SecEd and reading some of our content for professionals in secondary education. Register now for free to get unlimited access to all content.

What's included:

  • Unlimited access to news, best practice articles and podcast

  • New content and e-bulletins delivered straight to your inbox every Monday and Thursday

Register

Already have an account? Sign in here