England is in the middle of a 'national crisis' as children as young as six have been seeking help for mental health emergencies, according to children's doctors.
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) has revealed a "deeply alarming" 36 per cent rise in youngsters' mental health-related attendances since 2019, following analysis of NHS England data. The rise has been fastest among the youngest children, with attendances of 6-9-year-olds increasing by 62 per cent over the same period, from 3,870 in 2019 to 6,269 in 2025.
These children were found to be facing "extreme" waits in busy and noisy A&E departments before they can access care. Some children waited 12 hours to be seen, with hundreds waiting three days in A&E before being discharged to a safe place that can provide the correct mental health support.
Three-fold increase in waiting times
The RCPCH warned that "more children are reaching crisis point" and then face a three-fold increase in waiting times in A&E when they have attended with a mental health concern. The figures come ahead of a Government-commissioned review into ADHD, autism and mental health services, which is expected to be published imminently.
Experts say this should be a 'wake-up' call to the Government and a "damning indictment of a failing system, with desperate families left with nowhere to turn". The children's doctors said the increase in very young children seeking help is "particularly worrying because of the vulnerable nature of young children's neurodevelopment and the potential of suffering for those children longer term without early intervention".
'Noisy, brightly lit, and long waits'
Professor Lynn Woolsey, chief nursing officer at the Royal College of Nursing, said: "The rise in children presenting to A&E in mental health crisis is a damning indictment of a failing system, with desperate families left with nowhere else to turn.
"Nursing staff do everything they can for those who attend A&E, but the reality is that these places are wholly unsuitable for children in mental health distress. They're noisy, brightly lit, and long waits in these conditions can often cause those struggling to deteriorate further. There is an urgent need to improve mental health provision for children and young people."
The officer said the government's new mental health A&Es and community mental health centres are a step in the right direction, but the roll-out needs to be "expanded" alongside investment in roles such as specialist mental health nurses, health visitors and school nurses.
Sharp rise in long waits
The RCPCH figures also show that the number of children and young people staying more than 12 hours in A&E rose 217 per cent - from 1,964 in 2019 to 6,235 in 2025. Within this, the number staying more than 72 hours rose by 514 per cent, from 55 in 2019 to 338 in 2025.
In 2025, 75,491 children and young people aged 6-17 attended emergency departments in England with a recorded mental health concern, up from 55,525 in 2019, according to NHS England figures analysed by the RCPCH.
The RCPCH has called on the Government to use the upcoming Mental Health Strategy to focus on prevention and improved access to early support so fewer children reach crisis point.
Call for urgent intervention
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 a time... This is a national crisis that will only get worse without urgent intervention from Government and NHS leaders.
"No child should be spending 12 hours or more in A&E let alone days to weeks while they wait for the right support. The scandal has to end."
Dr Ronny Cheung, RCPCH officer for health services, added: "This must be a wake-up call for Government. The growing number of children reaching crisis point with their mental health is deeply alarming, particularly among younger children. Without urgent action to provide support earlier, we risk storing up serious problems for the future, including more young people falling out of education, employment and training, where poor mental health is already a major driver.
"Tackling children's mental health must be at the heart of any plan to improve life chances and opportunity. The Prime Minister and Health Secretary must urgently set out how they plan to address the crisis."
Gemma Byrne, Policy & Influencing Manager at 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 fact that children and young people are presenting at A&E for their mental health in the first place shows they aren't getting the support they need early enough..."
Claire Evans, Acting CEO of Anna Freud - a mental health charity for children, young people and families - said: "Today's figures are deeply concerning and yet more evidence of the work urgently needed to protect and nurture children's mental health. But numbers only ever tell part of the story. Behind each one is a distressed child, parent or carer so concerned about their wellbeing that their only option was an accident and emergency department. These emergency departments carry out incredible work, but they are not set up to provide the child-centred care and support these families need and deserve.
"The government needs to act now. The right help at the right time can make a significant difference to children and young people's mental health. Investment is needed to not only increase access to specialist services but also to fund effective prevention and early intervention. The new mental health strategy must also place children at its heart, creating the conditions for lifelong positive mental health and accelerating investment in accessible, community-based support. Today's shocking figures demand action and should be a stark warning to government that they need to match the scale of the problem with equal ambition."
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "No child should have to reach crisis point before getting the support they need. That's why we're making it easier to access mental health support in schools and colleges, and opening more than 150 new mental health facilities, including community centres offering same-day, walk-in support - to help young people get help earlier and closer to home.
"Later this year, our Mental Health Strategy will set out our long-term plans to build a system that helps people earlier and ensures fewer young people end up needing emergency care."
