NHS Activity Tracker: July

Mental health and learning disability sector

2.36m
people had an open referral with MH services – the highest figure on record
894,212
CYP accessed mental health services – the highest figure on record
2.29m
care contacts attended

There were 476,278 new referrals to mental health services in May 2026 compared with 439,296 in May 2025.
There were 2.58 million open referrals to mental health services in May 2026 compared with 2.29 million in May 2025.
In the 12 months to May 2026, 894,212 children and young people (CYP) accessed mental health services, compared with 843,683 in 12 months to May 2025. This is the highest figure since records began in March 2021.
2.36 million people had an open referral with mental health services at the end of May 2026 compared with 2.10 million in May 2025. This is the highest figure on record (since April 2019) and is a large increase on last month (2.26 in April).

There were 2.29 million care contacts attended in May 2026 compared with 2.25 million in May 2025.

218,544 CYP had a first contact with NHS funded mental health services in the three months to May 2026 compared with 201,571 in the three months to May 2025.
The number of children and young people still waiting for a first contact from mental health services was 423,550 in the three months to May 2026 compared with 377,017 in the three months to May 2025.
The median wait times for CYP still waiting between referral and first contact was 327 days in the three months to May 2026 compared with 276 in the three months to May 2025.
For adults with serious mental illness, 125,146 received their second contact with services in the three-month period to May 2026, compared with 123,570 in the three months to May 2025.
195,555 adults with serious mental illness were still waiting for their second contact from community mental health services in the three months to May 2026, compared with 186,502 in the three months to May 2025.
The median wait time for a second contact from community mental health services since referral for adults with serious mental illness was 73 days in the three months to May 2026, compared with 79 in the three months to May 2025.

At the end of May 2026, there were 320 inappropriate OAPs in adult acute beds compared with 441 in May 2025.