- More than one million children in England are currently engaged with mental health services, a figure highlighting the "sheer scale of distress young people are facing today", according to the children’s commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza.
- Her annual report has revealed that the number of active referrals to children and young people’s mental health services has almost doubled since 2018-19, with a 9.5 per cent increase in the last year alone.
- Data obtained from NHS England indicates that anxiety is the primary reason for referrals, accounting for 16 per cent of all cases, particularly among children over 10.
- Referrals for suspected autism surged by 47 per cent, and other neurodevelopmental conditions increased by almost a quarter.
- Concerning waiting times persist, with a weighted average of 128 days; 16 per cent of children awaiting treatment had been waiting for over two years.
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