Children and young people in England experiencing a mental health crisis are waiting up to three days in A&E units before being admitted to a specialist bed, according to NHS figures. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) described the situation as a 'catastrophic system-wide failure'.
Freedom of information requests by the RCN to NHS trusts revealed that the number of under-18s waiting at least 12 hours for a mental health bed more than trebled from 237 in 2019 to 802 in 2025. Three trusts reported children waiting three days or more.
One A&E nurse described the long waits as 'extremely distressing' for patients and staff, while another said A&E is not respite for children with mental health concerns and can exacerbate trauma. The RCN estimates that nearly 500,000 under-18s have sought help for mental health problems in A&E since 2019.
Dr Sam Jones of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health noted that children in crisis are now often more unwell, with more complex problems, rising self-harm and eating disorders. The RCN and RCPCH are urging ministers to speed up the rollout of mental health emergency units to divert children from A&E.
An NHS England spokesperson said busy A&Es are not the right place for mental health crises and highlighted 24/7 support via NHS 111, expanded mental health services, and mental health support teams in schools.
