Acute hospital wards are facing “real challenges”, as a study showed the number of children being admitted due to mental health concerns has gone up by two-thirds in 10 years. The research, led by a team from University College London (UCL), looked at data on all admissions for 5 to 18-year-olds to general acute medical wards in England from 2012 to 2022.

Annual admissions for children and young people, aged 5 to 18 with mental health issues, increased by 65% in a decade – from 24,198 in 2012 to 39,925 in 2022, according to the study. More than half (53.4%) were due to self-harm.  The rise in mental health admissions was particularly high in girls aged 11 to 15, climbing from 9,901 to 19,349 – an increase of 112.8%, said researchers. And the number of admissions for eating disorders jumped from 478 to 2,938.

Dr Karen Street, from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said: “A 65% increase in mental health admissions further evidences the alarming deterioration in the mental health and wellbeing of our children and young people.” She also highlighted that while the COVID-19 pandemic had a “profound impact” on youngsters, it was not the “sole factor” in the increase in admissions