Mental health and learning disability sector

Referrals (data from January 2026)

• There were 485,675 new referrals to mental health services in January 2026 compared with 479,084 in January 2025.  
  
  
• There were 2.43 million open referrals to mental health services in January 2026 compared with 2.22 million in January 2025.  
  
  
• In the 12 months to January 2026, 870,059 CYP accessed mental health services, compared with 827,034 in 12 months to January 2025. This is the highest figure since records began in March 2021. 

Contacts (data from January 2026)

• 2.24 million people were in contact with mental health services at the end of January 2026 compare with 2.04 million in January 2025. This is the highest figure since records began in April 2019.
  
  
• There were 2.45 million care contacts attended in January 2026 compared with 2.35 million in January 2025. 

Community mental health (data for November 2025 to January 2026) 

• 204,814 CYP had a first contact with NHS funded mental health services in the three months to January 2026 compared with 195,009 in the three months to January 2025.
  
  
• The number of children and young people still waiting for a first contact from community mental health services was 396,802 in the three months to January 2026 compared with 378,679 in the three months to January 2025. 
  
  
• The median wait times for CYP still waiting between referral and first contact was 321 days in the three months to January 2026 compared with 263 in the three months to January 2025. 
  
  
• For adults with serious mental illness, 122,578 received their second contact with services in the three-month period to January 2026, compared with 124,601 in the three months to January 2025.
  
  
• 187,570 adults with serious mental illness were still waiting for their second contact from community mental health services in the three months to January 2026, compared with 206,603 in the three months to January 2025. 
  
  
• The median wait time for a second contact since referral for adults with serious mental illness was 68 days in the three months to January 2026, compared with 93 in the three months to January 2025. 

Out of area placements (OAPs) (data for January 2026) 

• At the end of January 2026, there were 352 inappropriate OAPs in adult acute beds compared with 404 in January 2025.