NHS Activity Tracker: June

Mental health and learning disability sector

2.26m
people had an open referral to MH services – the highest figure on record
892,559
CYP accessed mental health services in April – the highest figure on record
2.34m
care contacts attended

There were 462,105 new referrals to mental health services in April 2026 compared with 432,511 in April 2025.
There were 2.45 million open referrals to mental health services in April 2026 compared with 2.33 million in April 2025.
In the 12 months to April 2026, 892,559 children and young people (CYP) accessed mental health services, compared with 842,333 in 12 months to April 2025. This is the highest figure since records began in March 2021.
2.26 million people had an open referral to mental health services at the end of April 2026 compared with 2.12 million in April 2025. This is the highest figure on record (since April 2019).

There were 2.34 million care contacts attended in April 2026 compared with 2.26 million in April 2025.

220,209 CYP had a first contact with NHS funded mental health services in the three months to April 2026 compared with 199,189 in the three months to April 2025.
The number of children and young people still waiting for a first contact from mental health services was 417,996 in the three months to April 2026 compared with 359,141 in the three months to April 2025.
The median wait times for CYP still waiting between referral and first contact was 328 days in the three months to April 2026 compared with 280 in the three months to April 2025.
For adults with serious mental illness, 125,228 received their second contact with services in the three-month period to April 2026, compared with 124,103 in the three months to April 2025.
189,509 adults with serious mental illness were still waiting for their second contact from community mental health services in the three months to April 2026, compared with 195,281 in the three months to April 2025.
The median wait time for a second contact from community mental health services since referral for adults with serious mental illness was 66 days in the three months to April 2026, compared with 73 in the three months to March 2025.

At the end of April 2026, there were 263 inappropriate OAPs in adult acute beds compared with 442 in April 2025.