New report finds significant gaps in early mental health support for young people across England

A new report by the Education Policy Institute (EPI) released today, funded by The Prudence Trust, has found ‘substantial’ geographic variation in the range of early mental health support services for young people – with no clear link between the level of need and the range of support on offer.

Meanwhile, new data shows that hospital admissions for mental health reasons have increased by 20 per cent since 2017 for 11 to 25-year-olds.

The report finds that:  

– There is substantial variation across the country in the range of mental health support services outside of NHS settings available to young people. These services include open-access or drop-in mental health services, youth groups, and peer support  

– In some of the most deprived areas of the country, including areas in the north and around Birmingham, both local health commissioners and local authorities could not provide the EPI with information on these services

– The range of available services does not appear to be related to the number of young people in an area, whether an area is urban or rural, or the level of deprivation

– NHS providers of specialist mental health services to young people are often unaware of the services operating in their area, which the EPI says indicates that they are unable to signpost young people who do not meet thresholds for access to NHS treatment to a suitable service

– Vulnerable young people, including those who identify as LGBTQ+ and those from ethnic minority groups who have documented barriers to accessing mental healthcare, are particularly underserved when it comes to targeted services.  

According to the EPI’s data, half of areas did not have a targeted service for LGBTQ+ young people, and two thirds did not have any targeted service for young people from ethnic minority groups or for other under-served groups, including refugee and asylum-seekers or care-experienced young people.  Depending on where these young people live, there may not be any targeted support accessible to them, according to the data the EPI collected.

In a third of integrated care systems, the EPI found data on the impact of accessing mental health support on young people’s mental health is not being comprehensively collected.  Outcomes measures have only recently been included in published national NHSE data, covering only a minority of young people. At both the national and local levels, this appears to be a significant barrier to service improvement.

Meanwhile, new data from NHS England shows that, between 2017 and 2023, the number of young people aged 11 to 25 being admitted to hospital for mental health reasons increased by 20 per cent to about 150,000, whilst admission episodes rose by a third, indicating that more young people are reaching a crisis point and experiencing multiple admission episodes for their mental health.

The Education Policy Institute recommends:

– The rollout of Young Futures Hubs, a key pillar of the new government’s programme to support young people’s mental health, should address gaps in support and work with existing open-access mental health hubs, identified through this and previous research. The government should facilitate knowledge sharing across local systems, commissioners and service providers, particularly in areas of weakness identified by this research, such as using data for improving services, addressing inequalities, involving young people and their families in service improvement efforts, and measuring outcomes following engagement with services  

– The government should commission research exploring the availability of non-specialist, including early intervention, services for young people’s mental health, and the extent to which these are meeting young people’s needs – particularly for groups of young people less likely to access specialist healthcare

– Given the notable level of variation in awareness about services across commissioners and providers of these services, NHS England should create clear guidelines supporting good governance and joined up working to address fragmentation between NHS trusts, local authorities and the voluntary sector.  

Whitney Crenna-Jennings, associate director for mental health, wellbeing, and inclusion at the EPI, said:  “This research reveals a lack of transparency and local coordination in the provision of non-specialist mental health support for young people across England, despite the introduction of integrated care boards and partnerships.  

“Our data shows significant geographical disparities in the range of available services, particularly for underserved groups. It is concerning that in many areas, commissioners and providers of services do not appear to be fully aware of what services exist.  

“This patchy landscape and governance, combined with increasing numbers of young people reaching a crisis point, underscores the urgent need for a comprehensive understanding of services delivered outside of specialist settings and their effectiveness in meeting young people’s diverse needs.”