The number of urgent referrals of under-18s reached more than 3,000 in April, according to analysis of NHS monthly data by mental health charity Young Minds.
This increased to 3,732 in May this year, which is three times higher than the same period in 2019, and the highest rate of referrals recorded in a single month since records began.
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Young Minds also found that the number of open referrals to children and young people’s mental health services (CAMHS) reached the highest monthly rate on record in May this year, with 466,250 young people awaiting care.
Chief executive of Young Minds Laura Bunt said that the figures should “sound an alarm”.
She added: “They are indicative of a system that is broken and a government that has refused to listen to young people demanding change.
“Many young people are having to wait months and years to access help, while many others are told they don’t meet the threshold for a referral to mental health services.”
The charity is calling for government action to ensure that its Major Conditions Strategy, which is due to replace the long-term mental health plan which was scrapped, will reduce these figures.
The strategy aims to improve health outcomes over the next five years, combining mental health with physical health conditions including cancer, heart disease, musculoskeletal disorders, dementia and respiratory disease.
An interim report on the strategy was published earlier this week setting out plans to improve health outcomes for these conditions, but Young Minds has criticised the strategy, with Bunt saying it “looks set to fall well short of what is needed”.
“Young people and families need decisive action – not sticking-plaster solutions and further delays. That starts with prioritising young people’s mental health, including providing early support in communities, increasing help in schools and reducing waiting times.
“We need to see a clear plan and a firm commitment from the government to drive down prevalence and address the root causes of the youth mental health crisis,” she said.
The children’s commissioner for England Dame Rachel de Souza said the figures from Young Minds were “concerning”, adding: “We must make sure that support is available to children early, that there is a focus on support before issues escalate, and that care is available to all children who need it and in a timely manner. I want to see mental health support teams delivered in every school by the end of 2025 and a clear-eyed focus on the specific needs of children in government mental health investment.”
Ollie Steadman, public affairs and campaigns manager at mental health charity Mind, added the figures are a "stark reminder of how our mental health system is failing people".
He said: "Record numbers of under 18s are seeking help but the NHS doesn’t have the capacity to treat them.
"The result is thousands of young people left with untreated mental health problems, impacting their education, families, and their futures."
A spokesperson from the Department of Health and Social Care added: “We’re investing record sums of funding to boost children’s mental health support, and we’re extending coverage of mental health support teams to at least 50 per cent of pupils in England by the end of March 2025.
“We’re also investing an additional £2.3bn a year in NHS mental health services by March 2024, so an additional 345,000 children and young people will be able to access NHS-funded mental health support quicker.”
