'Significant' rise in children being admitted to acute hospital wards for mental health issues
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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 five to 18-year-olds to general acute medical wards in England from 2012 to 2022.
These wards assess and treat patients and are separate from specialist mental health wards. Annual admissions for children and young people, aged five 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 figure of 39,925 patients was among 342,511 people in that age bracket who were admitted to hospital for any cause in 2021/22. Big rise in admissions for girls. 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.
"Steep relative increases" among children aged five to 10 and "striking rates of self-harm in females" were also highlighted by the analysis. And the number of admissions for eating disorders jumped from 478 to 2,938. People are usually referred to a general acute medical ward from the emergency department, or by their GP or outpatient clinic.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player. 'Increased intensity'. Dr Lee Hudson, of UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health and Great Ormond Street Hospital, warned the "increased intensity" in admissions is leading to challenges for patients and staff on acute wards.
