Children’s mental health referrals hit five-year-high, new data shows

Children’s mental health referrals are at the highest level for five years, with anxiety and mental health crises recorded as some of the most common referral reasons, new figures show.

Last year, 11,901 children were referred to South West London and St George’s (SWLSG) Mental Health NHS Trust – a 21 per cent increase from 2019, according to a Freedom of Information (FoI) request submitted by Medical Negligence Assist.

Overall, anxiety was the most common reason for children being referred to the Tooting-based service.

There were 14,630 referrals for anxiety in the past five years, and an increase of 180 per cent since 2019.

A further 5,369 children ‘in crisis’ were referred for support over the same period. These are usually made if a child is at risk of harm to themselves or others, or if they are experiencing a mental health crisis. 

Andy Bell, chief executive of the Centre for Mental Health charity, said: “Our research indicates that academic pressures, rising levels of poverty and inequality, online harms like cyberbullying and pressures around appearance, have contributed to increased anxiety among children and young people.”

On average, children referred to the SWLSG Mental Health Trust waited 15 weeks between a first assessment and a first treatment appointment.

The longest waiting time recorded in the past year was 630 days – 90 weeks from the first assessment to the first treatment appointment.

A spokesman from the trust said this was for treatment for ADHD. 

Referrals for neurodevelopmental conditions like ADHD have increased almost threefold in the past four years at the trust – now making up about half of all referrals for young people’s mental health services in South-west London.

A spokesman said SWLSG Mental Health Trust was “committed” to working with partners across the healthcare system to “reduce waiting times”.

He said: “We are working hard to address this through new investment to increase staffing capacity, and through our networks with schools and partner agencies.”

Mental health charity Mind began accepting referrals to its Brent, Wandsworth and Westminster branch in 2020, to help reduce NHS waiting lists.

In the past five years, referrals have increased more than three-fold.

The charity said anxiety and low mood have “consistently” been the main reasons for referrals.

But a spokeswoman from Mind said the rise can be attributed to the service expanding, increased awareness of mental health needs, available support and reduced stigma around mental health. 

Julia Lungley, clinical director of children and young people’s services at BWW Mind, said: “The rise in referrals means more young people are getting the help they need. We are proud to contribute to raising awareness and reducing stigma around having mental health needs.”

In September, the latest NHS statistics revealed that more than 500 children in England are referred to mental health services for anxiety every day. This is more than double the rate than before the pandemic.  

Children’s Commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza said she was “horrified” by the figures.

In a statement, she said: “For children and young people, each year is a significant portion of their young lives, so we need a fresh approach that intervenes much earlier to prevent children from reaching crisis point.”

Pictured top: Andy Bell said negative effects of social media like cyber bullying and pressures around appearances have led to an increase in anxiety amongst children and young people (Picture: pexels/kampus)