"This is a national crisis that will only get worse"
NHS doctors have warned that there has been a surge in children as young as six attending A&E units in England amid a mental health crisis.
The number of six to 17-year-olds attending A&E with significant mental health concerns rose by 36% between 2019 and 2025, according to analysis by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH).
The figures, obtained from NHS England under the Freedom of Information Act, showed there were 75,491 A&E attendances by children and young people for a mental health concern in 2025.
This compares with 55,525 attendances in 2019, with some of the largest increases recorded among children aged six to nine.
The rise was significantly greater than the overall increase in A&E attendances, which grew by just over 8% during the same period.
Cases included children experiencing self-harm, eating disorders and emotional crises.
Some were brought to hospital by family members, carers or police, while others became aggressive or displayed challenging behaviour during periods of distress.
More than 6,200 children and young people, around 8% of those attending A&E for a mental health concern, waited for more than 12 hours.
The RCPCH said emergency departments were not designed to provide appropriate care for children experiencing mental health crises. However, a lack of support within communities has left some families with few alternatives.
Dr Sam Jones, RCPCH officer for mental health, said:
“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.
“Emergency departments are a vital safety net, but they were never designed to be a place where children in mental health crisis wait for days at time.
“This is a national crisis that will only get worse without urgent intervention.”
She called for greater investment in children’s mental health services and better training for staff across health, social care and education.
Dr Jones said professionals working with children should be better equipped to identify and respond to those struggling with their mental health, particularly when they are experiencing a crisis.
Gemma Byrne, of mental health charity Mind, said: “A&E can be a frightening environment for anyone in mental health crisis, let alone a child.
“Making them spend more than 12 hours there is simply unacceptable.”
“The current system, where many mental health services only provide support when young people are considered ‘unwell enough’ to qualify, clearly isn’t working.”
She said expanding the network of young future hubs, which bring together support for areas including mental health, employment, sport and volunteering, was a crucial step.
The government is due to publish a new mental health strategy later in the summer, while the Department of Health and Social Care said improvements were already being made.
A spokesman said investment was being made in mental health teams for schools and more than 150 new mental health hubs in community locations, including banks and libraries.
He added: “No child should have to reach crisis point before getting the support they need.”
Dr Mark Buchanan, of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said children and young people experiencing mental health crises were ending up in A&E by “default”.
“They deserve care within systems and settings that are designed to meet their needs.”
