Young people are unlikely to receive inpatient mental health care unless they “have attempted suicide multiple times”, according to a new report based on the views of mental health staff, parents and service users. ‘Away from hospital and into the community’, which was commissioned by the care and support charity Look Ahead, reveals an increasing demand for children and young people’s crisis mental health services amid challenges with existing services.
Researchers heard that young people “had to have attempted suicide multiple times to be offered inpatient support”, and that A&E departments have become an “accidental hub” for children and young people experiencing crisis, but are illequipped to offer the treatment required.