Huge inequalities in accessing children's mental health care have been revealed in a new report.

The analysis by the Children's Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza reveals some young people waiting up to 17 times longer than others depending on where they live.

The report reveals nearly 60,000 children in England were referred for being ‘in crisis' in 2023-24, or over 6% of all those referred to children's mental health services that year – and 50,000 more children with active referrals were still waiting for treatment to begin at the end of March 2024.

Black children, older teenagers and girls were among the groups of children most likely to be referred for crisis mental health treatment.

Investment in Children and Young People's Mental Health Services (CYPMHS) represented just over 1% of ICB total annual spend – £1.1bn in 2023-24, an increase of £87m in 2022-23.

Children in the ICB area of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland waited just six days for treatment on average, while children in Hampshire and Isle of Wight wait up to 17 times longer: 103 days on average.

Dame Rachel said: ‘The numbers in this report are staggering – but these are not numbers, these are real children who not only missing precious moments of their childhood while stuck waiting for vital treatment for months, sometimes years, but also the scaffolding that makes their lives happy and fulfilled with their friends.'

She called for renewed focus and investment in children's mental health services, through the NHS 10 Year Plan.

Reaction

Cllr Arooj Shah, chair of the Local Government Association's Children and Young People Board, said: ‘This important report highlights the crisis in children's mental health and need for urgent action.

‘In the Spending Review, we are calling for a cross-government plan to support children and young people alongside adequate funding for children's services.'

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: ‘Children with mental health issues are not getting the support or care they deserve, and they remain a top priority in our mission to transform our mental health system. 

‘This week, we announced our intention to expand access to mental health teams in schools, ensuring that every pupil has access to early support services in their community. 

‘On top of this, we have announced £26m to open new mental health crisis centres, while recruiting 8,500 mental health workers to give young people access to quality and sustained care. This is all part of our mission to raise the healthiest generation of children in our history.'