Mental health sector

Key points

• The number of open referrals and people in contact with mental health services both hit  record highs this month, underscoring ongoing pressures across the system – particularly for children and young people (CYP). 
  
  
• A record number of CYP accessed services in the last year. However, the number still waiting for first contact has also grown. 
  
  
• Access to community mental health support for adults with serious mental illness is improving, with shorter waits and fewer people left waiting for treatment. 
  
  
• The number of out of area placements (OAPs) in acute beds rose to its highest level in over a year.
  
  
• Our briefing Mental health: shifting the focus explores the current challenges facing the sector and how trusts are responding and innovating. 

Referrals

• In April 2025, new mental health referrals dropped to 432,550 but remain significantly above pre-pandemic levels – up by 42.6% compared to April 2019.
  
  
• Open referrals to mental health services reached a record high of 2.33 million in April, 9% higher than last year and 38% above pre-pandemic levels. The number of adult open referrals was 1.76m, up by 4.5% on the same time last year. Open referrals for CYP increased to 567,440, rising by over a quarter (26.7%) compared to a year ago.
  
  
• In the 12 months to April 2025, a record high 842,330 CYP accessed mental health services. Compared to the same period a year ago, this figure is up by 5.9%.

Figure 6
Number in contact with mental health or learning disabilities services 

Contacts

• The number of people in contact with mental health services reached a record high of 2.12 million in April 2025. This represents an 11.5% increase compared to last year and a 57.3% increase compared to pre-pandemic levels.
  
  
• During the same month, there were 2.26 million care contacts attended, relatively unchanged compared to the month previous but 12.8% higher than a year ago.

Community mental health

• Between February and April 2025, 199,190 CYP accessed support through NHS funded mental health services, up by 7.6% since last year. Despite rising demand, there were some reductions in how long CYP waited to be seen. The median wait time for a first contact was 14 days, down from 17 days during the same period last year. 
  
  
• The number of CYP still waiting for first contact from community mental health services was 359,140 in the three months to April 2025 – a 9.7% increase since last year, highlighting that capacity has yet to fully keep pace with growing demand. 
  
  
• For adults with serious mental illness, 124,100 received their second contact with services, 12.6% more than over the same period last year. The median wait times for adults was 42 days, an improvement of six days compared to last year.  
  
  
• 195,280 adults with serious mental illness were still waiting for treatment from community mental health services, lower than last month and last year (down by 13.3% and 20.9% respectively).

Figure 7
Children and young people still waiting for first contact from community health services at the end of the three-month rolling reporting period

Out of area placements (OAPs)

• At the end of April 2025, there were 442 OAPs in adult acute beds, 41 more OAPs since the previous month (10.2% higher). This is the highest figure reported since February 2024.