The figures show that 3.8 million people were in contact with services during 2023-24, compared to 2.7 million in 2018/19.

This includes more than one million children, with 16-year-olds most likely to be seeking NHS support. The data also shows that one in five 16-year-old girls are in contact with services (70,963). 

The NHS is currently rolling out hundreds of teams in schools, which will mean that more than one in every two pupils in England will have access to NHS support in the classroom by Spring 2025.  

In addition, the NHS has asked all local health systems to review how they interact with patients with serious mental health issues to ensure they are receiving the support they need.     

Claire Murdoch, NHS England's national mental health director, said: ‘We know more work is still needed and it is very much job begun and not job done because there are still significant numbers of people who need our help, so the NHS will continue to work hard to transform services to ensure everyone gets the support they need.'