College’s call for investment is front page news
The College has marked Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week by highlighting that the number of young people being referred to mental health service crisis teams has risen by more than 50% in four years.
According to our analysis of NHS England data, more than 32,000 under-18s were referred for urgent or emergency care in 2022/23, up from just over 21,000 in 2019/20.
The College has called on Government and Integrated Care Boards to turn the tide on this crisis by investing in targeted support for children and young people.
The story was featured on the front page of the Guardian and covered by the Telegraph, Daily Mail, Independent, Sun, Daily Express, Metro and more than 200 other regional outlets.
Dr Elaine Lockhart, Chair of the College’s Child and Adolescent Faculty, was interviewed by Times Radio and the story was mentioned by BBC Radio 4, BBC 5 Live and Good Morning Britain.
We also drew attention to new figures, recently published for the first time, which show that children and young people waiting for follow-up after a GP’s referral have already waited on average five months, and in the worst case, almost two years.
While we previously welcomed the Chancellor’s announcement of an extra £5 million to improve access to existing Early Support Hubs, it’s clear more support is needed. It’s estimated an additional £125-£205 million is required to establish these hubs in every local authority, with running costs of between £114-£134.5 million per annum.
The College will continue to call for better mental health support for children and young people, which includes ensuring services have the staff and resources they need to meet demand.