Young people in UK facing ‘mental health emergency’ as referrals reach record high

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New figures have revealed a record surge in referrals to children and young people’s mental health services in March, alongside unprecedented waiting times.

The charity YoungMinds, analysing NHS England data, reported 932,822 under-18s had an active mental health referral during the month.

This included 134,837 new referrals, both statistics marking the highest on record for a single month.

YoungMinds warned the data highlights the “sheer scale of the mental health emergency” facing youngsters.

New referrals climbed 11 per cent from February and were up 2 per cent compared to the same time last year.

On waiting times, the number of urgent, very urgent and emergency care referrals for young people reached 8,631, up 16% (7,443) compared with the previous month.

The previous highest was 1,284 in June 2025.

The analysis also found that the average waiting time topped 300 days for the eighth consecutive month.

The average waiting time was 301 days in March, up 13 days when compared to the same period last year.

In the worst cases, patients waited more than two-and-a-half years – 1,006 days – up by 146 days from the previous year and another record high.

The analysis also found that the average waiting time topped 300 days for the eighth consecutive month (Getty Images)

Abigail Ampofo, interim chief executive at YoungMinds, said: “These alarming figures highlight the sheer scale of the mental health emergency.

“While waiting lists for the treatment of physical health problems are going down, the time young people are spending trying to access specialist support for their mental health continues to rise.

“So many pressures are harming young people’s mental health, including academic demands, rising living costs and inequality.

“We need more investment in mental health services, but we also need to tackle these root causes of poor mental health.

“The announcement that a cross-government mental health strategy is to be developed is welcome but, with a record number of young people being referred for support, we can’t wait until that strategy is in place to turn things around. We need both a long-term plan and urgent action.”

It is estimated that around one in five eight to 25-year-olds have mental health problems such as anxiety and depression.