Demand and activity
The latest mental health monthly performance data for June 2024, published in August, highlight the continued high levels of demand for services and activity taken by trusts with mental health and learning disability settings.
There are now more people than ever before in contact with mental health services, with figures reported at 1.94 million people in June 2024. This is 0.6% higher than May 2024, 10.3% higher than a year ago and 41.6% above pre-pandemic levels, highlighting that the number of people in contact with mental health services has continuously grown over time.
Number of patients in contact with mental health or learning disabilities services
Each month, referrals are made for people newly in contact with secondary mental health services, as well as new and additional referrals for people already in contact with secondary mental health services. In June 2024, nearly 416,900 new referrals were made. The number of new referrals made fluctuates heavily on a monthly basis, but there’s a clear long-term increasing trend: in the 12 months to June 2024 423,800 referrals were made on average, 21,000 more on average per month than the 12 months to June 2023, and over 125,000 more on average per month than the 12 months to June 2019.
Trusts continue to focus on increasing activity in the face of high demand. More than two million contacts with individuals attended in June 2024, nearly a fifth higher than five years ago before the pandemic. As we set out in our briefing on five commitments for working with the next government, we need to be realistic about the level of unmet mental health need. Years of under-investment in mental health services has led to a significant mismatch between demand and capacity. This highlights the importance that the new government prioritise mental health services and tackle the mental healthcare deficit.
Learning disability and autism (LDA) services
Learning disability and autism (LDA) services are also experiencing high demand, as the number of people in contact with these services is up by 12.4% compared to June 2023. Latest monthly statistics on LDA patients from the Assuring Transformation (AT) collection show 2,025 learning disabilities and/or autism inpatients at the end of June 2024. Over half of these (53%) have had a total length of stay of more than two years. Immediate action needs to be taken to ensure high-quality care and support is available for everyone, no matter where they live or the complexity of their needs, as our briefing explains in further detail.
Community mental health
Community mental health services are a vital component of the overall mental health care system, providing essential support and treatment to adults and children, within their local communities.
Children and young people’s (CYP) access to community mental health services has increased over time (as shown in figure 7): in the 12 months to June 2024, a total of 796,400 children and young people (CYP) accessed mental health services, 30% higher than the 12 months to June 2021 (the earliest comparable period in the series). Between April-June 2024 alone, 188,800 CYP accessed mental health services. Our report shows deep concern among NHS trust leaders about meeting demand for services, including mental health, and the impact long waits for care are having on inequalities among children and young people.
Number of children and young people accessing mental health services (12-month rolling)
For adults and older adults, 113,800 people with a serious mental illness received their second contact with community mental health services in the three months to June 2024, with median wait times lasting 51 days.
Community mental health services are often the first point of contact for many seeking help and are important for managing ongoing mental health conditions. But with 351,100 children and young people still waiting for a first treatment and 248,900 adults and older adults with a serious mental illness awaiting a second contact from community health services in the three months to June, there’s still a long way to go to meet demand.
Work underway to deliver new integrated models of community mental health care should be built on in the years ahead. This will take time and require sustained focus and resources, given historic levels of underinvestment in community mental health services and workforce constraints. Wider socioeconomic factors – including poverty, homelessness, and public health concerns such as substance misuse – must also be addressed, including through better supported access to appropriate housing and financial and social support.
Intervention-specific performance and waiting times
Urgent and emergency liaison mental health services
The evidence-based treatment pathway (EBTP) standard for urgent and emergency liaison mental health services states that any person experiencing a mental health crisis should receive a response within one hour. In June 2024, there were 22,800 new referrals to liaison psychiatry teams from A&E with 65% of these (14,800 referrals) receiving first face-to-face contact within one hour. Face-to-face contact within one hour is up by 7% compared to the previous month and up by 10.5% compared to a year ago, reflecting an increased response to urgent psychiatric care over the past year.
Eating disorders
The national target for children and young people with eating disorders accessing treatment is 95%. Between April 2024 and June 2024, only 67% of patients with eating disorders started treatment within one week for urgent cases and 70% within four weeks for routine cases.
Talking therapies
Progress is being made in other areas such as NHS talking therapies as services continue to meet the key national target. In June 2024, 92.4% of referrals who finished a course of treatment in the month accessed NHS talking therapies within six weeks, meeting the national standard of 75%.
Percentage of referrals accessing NHS talking therapies within six weeks