London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 12, 2025

NHS is failing half of young people with mental health issues

NHS is failing half of young people with mental health issues

Parents report that even suicidal youngsters are not being referred or supported by care professionals
Up to half of all children and teenagers referred to mental health, learning disability and autism services in the run-up to the pandemic were left without proper support, with parents telling the Observer of children waiting years for treatment and a seven-year-old girl denied support as she was not suicidal.

Data published by NHS Digital shows that in 2019-20 – the most recent figures available – 23% of the 547,590 under-18s referred to NHS mental health, learning disability and autism services had no contact from health workers to deliver care, nor meetings between health workers to support their care. Another 26% – 144,384 people – had their referrals closed without receiving treatment. Some were told they needed social care instead, or passed on to charities, with others simply refused care as local services lacked sufficient capacity.

Parents have told the Observer of NHS child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) rejecting multiple referrals for the same child.

Emily Pringle’s seven-year-old daughter has had referrals for anxiety and mental health issues rejected by CAMHS over the last three years, plus three autism referrals that were rejected in the space of six months.

Even when a private doctor diagnosed her daughter with autism, the NHS community paediatrics team at first rejected the diagnosis; having eventually accepted it, they discharged her with no further help as she was physically well and reported to have support plans in place in school.

Her daughter’s anxiety has worsened to the point where she can’t leave the house and stopped eating for three days during May half-term. “You phone the emergency CAMHS number and I got asked if she was suicidal,” she told the Observer. “And I said ‘well, no, she’s seven’. ‘Has she got access to razor blades?’ I said ‘no, she’s seven! She’s with me’. ‘Sorry, we can’t help you’. And that’s what you get.”

“It’s horrendous, it’s absolutely horrendous and for a parent – she’s seven and she is begging me for help, ‘mummy please help me, I can’t cope any more’.”

In March, she was given an “urgent referral” for a CAMHS mental health assessment, but the waiting time for her is now at least eight months.

Last week, Pringle posted on Facebook asking for people’s experiences of CAMHS and got 500 responses within a day. Parents described years of waiting for help, with many saying CAMHS refused to help unless their child was suicidal.

Others couldn’t even get help after their child had self-harmed or attempted suicide. One parent wrote: “Suicide attempts and self-harm. Five referrals and five rejections by CAMHS.” Another’s son had had seven referrals refused, despite self-harm and attempted suicide, on the basis that “it’s his autism”. When his mother finally got an appointment she was told to Google “medication for under-18s” and speak to their paediatrician.

The pandemic has seen a rise in demand for young people’s mental health services. It was revealed last week that referrals rose by a third in 2020-21 compared to 2019-20.

Mental health minister Nadine Dorries recently tweeted that “we lead the world in the delivery of [mental health] services” and “we are not in the middle of a MH crisis” after a deluge of parents described their negative experiences of CAMHS.

But Liz Kalverda told the Observer that her son was now three years behind in reading and writing at school after waiting two years from being referred to CAMHS to getting an autism diagnosis, followed by another two years waiting for an ADHD diagnosis. He is now on a waiting list for occupational therapy.

“He’s lost a lot of friends because he’s different and he’s not understood why and no-one really understands him,” she said. “He’s struggled. He’s really struggled with the reading and the writing.”

“You just go from one hurdle to a waiting list, and then you get to the end of that waiting list, jump the hurdle and then land on another waiting list,” said Philippa McCann, who had to wait three-and-a-half years for her eight-year-old daughter to get an autism diagnosis, while she won’t see a CAMHS keyworker until August, 14 months after her referral.

The Department of Health and Social Care did not respond to a request for comment.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
A 92-year-old woman, who felt she doesn't belong in a nursing home, escaped the death-camp by climbing a gate nearly 8 ft tall
French Journalist Acquitted in Controversial Case Involving Brigitte Macron
Elon Musk’s xAI Targets $200 Billion Valuation in New Fundraising Round
Kraft Heinz Considers Splitting Off Grocery Division Amid Strategic Review
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
EU Proposes New Tax on Large Companies to Boost Budget
Trump Imposes 35% Tariffs on Canadian Imports Amid Trade Tensions
Junior Doctors in the UK Prepare for Five-Day Strike Over Pay Disputes
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Biden’s Doctor Pleads the Fifth to Avoid Self-Incrimination on President’s Medical Fitness
Grok Chatbot Faces International Backlash for Antisemitic Content
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
×