Children as young as six in A&E in mental health crisis - what the new figures show
What happened
In early September 2026, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health published an analysis of emergency department attendances by children and young people in England. The report is called "Children in crisis: Mental health pressures in emergency departments". It covers the years 2019 to 2025. The headline figure is this. In 2025, 75,491 children and young people aged 6 to 17 attended A&E with a recorded mental health concern. In 2019 the figure was 55,525. That is a rise of 36 per cent. The increase was sharpest among the youngest children in the data. Attendances by children aged 6 to 9 rose by 62 per cent since 2019. Waiting times have grown worse much faster than attendances. The number of children and young people staying more than 12 hours in A&E rose by 217 per cent, from 1,964 in 2019 to 6,235 in 2025. Within that, the number staying more than 72 hours rose by 514 per cent, from 55 to 338. Dr Sam Jones, RCPCH Officer for Mental Health and a Consultant in Paediatric Emergency Medicine, said: "Those experiencing the longest waits are often some of the most vulnerable children in society, frequently known to multiple services." The report calls for greater investment in prevention, early help and crisis support. A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said the government was making it easier to access mental health support in schools and colleges, and opening more than 150 new mental health facilities.
Why this matters
A&E is not designed for a child in mental health crisis. It is bright, loud, full of strangers, and organised around treating physical emergencies quickly. When a child ends up there, it usually means something else has not worked. The community service had a waiting list. The school had no specialist to call. The family did not know where else to go at eight o'clock on a Sunday evening. That is why the waiting time figures are the part of this report that should worry people most. A rise of 217 per cent in stays over 12 hours is not a story about more children arriving. It is a story about there being nowhere for them to go next. The 72-hour figure is starker still. Three days in an emergency department is not care. For a distressed child it is close to the opposite. The rise among 6 to 9 year olds is the other detail that stands out. Mental health crisis in a six year old is not what most people picture. It challenges an assumption many of us carry, which is that this is a teenage problem. And there is a schooling dimension. Children who are unwell in this way often cannot attend, or attend and cannot learn. Missed school then makes everything harder, which feeds back into the original difficulty.
What the evidence actually says
These are real, verifiable NHS figures, and they should be read carefully rather than dramatically. The data counts attendances with a recorded mental health concern. That is not the same as counting children. One child attending four times appears four times. So the rise reflects both more children and, quite possibly, the same children coming back because they were not helped the first time. Recording practice also changes over time. As awareness improves, staff record mental health concerns more consistently, which can make some of an increase apparent rather than real. This is a well-known effect and it does not explain away a 36 per cent rise, but it is part of the picture. The 2019 to 2025 window spans the pandemic. That is unavoidable and it complicates comparison. Some of the rise reflects genuine deterioration during and after lockdowns, and some reflects services and referral routes that changed and have not fully recovered. What is much harder to explain away is the waiting time data. The length of time a child spends in A&E does not depend on how a concern is recorded. It depends on whether a bed, a place or a plan exists. A 217 per cent rise in stays over 12 hours, and a 514 per cent rise in stays over 72 hours, describes a system that cannot move children onwards. The report also includes what clinicians, children and families themselves said, alongside recommendations. That combination is more useful than numbers alone, because it points at where the blockages actually are. One thing the report does not claim is a single cause. Anyone offering you one explanation for all of this, whether it is phones or lockdowns or funding, is simplifying.
Practical advice
If you are a parent or carer worried about a child, here are the routes that exist. Start with school. Most schools now have a designated mental health lead, and many have access to a Mental Health Support Team. Ask specifically what support the school can offer and what it can refer to. Speak to your GP. They can refer to child and adolescent mental health services, and can rule out physical causes that sometimes look like a mental health problem. Use the NHS 111 mental health option. In most areas you can call 111 and select the mental health option to reach a crisis line that is open around the clock, including for children and young people. Charities are genuinely useful and often faster. YoungMinds runs a parents helpline. Childline is free and confidential for children on 0800 1111. Samaritans is on 116 123 at any hour. If a child is in immediate danger, or has seriously harmed themselves, go to A&E or call 999. This report is not a reason to avoid emergency care when it is needed. It is a reason to push for the other routes to work better. If you are waiting for a service, ask what to do if things get worse while you wait. A written safety plan is a reasonable thing to request. And look after yourself. Supporting a child through this is exhausting, and parents often put off their own health needs for months. Your GP and pharmacist are there for you too.
What to know
RCPCH analysis published in early September 2026 shows 75,491 A&E attendances in England by children aged 6 to 17 with a recorded mental health concern in 2025, up 36 per cent from 55,525 in 2019. Attendances by children aged 6 to 9 rose by 62 per cent over the same period. Stays of more than 12 hours rose 217 per cent to 6,235, and stays of more than 72 hours rose 514 per cent to 338. The attendance figures count visits rather than individual children, and changes in recording practice explain part of any rise. The waiting time figures are harder to explain away and point to a shortage of onward care. The report calls for investment in prevention, early help and crisis support. The government points to mental health support in schools and colleges and more than 150 new mental health facilities. For families, the practical routes remain school, GP, NHS 111's mental health option, and charities such as YoungMinds, Childline and Samaritans - with A&E or 999 for immediate danger. Sources: Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, "Children in crisis: Mental health pressures in emergency departments - quick read report", September 2026, https://www.rcpch.ac.uk/resources/children-crisis-mental-health-pressures-emergency-departments-quick-read-report | RCPCH, "Sharp rise in children as young as six attending A&E in mental health crisis, RCPCH analysis reveals", September 2026, https://www.rcpch.ac.uk/news-events/news/2026-09/sharp-rise-children-young-six-attending-ae-mental-health-crisis-rcpch | Nursing Times, "Sharp rise in children in mental health crisis attending A&E", 2 September 2026, https://www.nursingtimes.net/childrens-nursing/sharp-rise-in-children-in-mental-health-crisis-attending-ae-02-09-2026/ This article is for general information and does not replace advice from a doctor, pharmacist or other qualified healthcare professional. If a child is in immediate danger or has seriously harmed themselves, call 999 or go to A&E. For urgent mental health support, call NHS 111 and choose the mental health option.
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