Self-harm hospital admissions increased by over 20%, NHS data shows

New data released by the NHS shows the number of people being admitted to hospital due to self-harm has increased by 22% in just one year. 

The data shows admissions for the majority of people had reduced but have severely increased in children aged between eight and 17. Following this tragic discovering, charities across the UK say early access support is vital but high thresholds and long waiting lists mean more young people are ending up in hospital.

Kerry McLeod, Head of Content at the charity Mind, said that despite rising self-harm rates in England, young people faced an agonising wait in a system struggling to keep up with demand.

Ms McLeod said: ‘With the right help and support, young people can reduce and eventually stop self-harming. Funding for children and young people’s mental health services is vital to make sure that all young people can get the help and support they need.’

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) describes self-harm as any act of self-poisoning or self-injury carried out by a person, irrespective of their motivation.

From March 2021 to March 2022, it was reported that there were more than 25,000 hospital admissions across the UK for self-harm among children aged between eight to 17. This was the highest figure for any age group and made up more than a quarter of total self-harm admissions. In the 12 months prior to this, there were just under 21,000 admissions within the same age bracket.

‘The number of children and young people who present to hospital is the tip of the iceberg’, said Dr Elaine Lockhart, Chair of the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Child and Adolescent Faculty.

She said the pandemic and the lockdown had a spiralling effect on children and young people’s mental health, which lead to more of them ending up in crisis situations.

In addition to this harrowing discovery, the Children’s Commissioner for England recently expressed concern that mental health services for children ‘may not be able to cope with the additional pressure’ of increased demand.

In a report, published this month, the Commissioner found ‘the percentage of children who had their mental health referrals closed without accessing treatment has increased, back up to nearly a third.’

Commenting on the findings produced by the NHS, a Department of Health and Social Care Spokesperson, said: ‘Self-harm is a complex issue, and we are funding research to monitor and understand the reasons why increasing numbers of young people are doing this.

‘We are also improving access to NHS-funded mental health services by investing £2.3bn a year, meaning an additional 345,000 children and young people will be able to access the support they need.’

Image: Anthony Tran