Children facing mental health crises are experiencing extended waits of up to three days in hospital emergency departments before receiving specialist care, according to warnings from a nursing union. Data gathered from 80 NHS trusts by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) reveals that over 330,000 individuals under the age of 18 sought emergency mental health support between 2019 and 2025.

The data indicates a sharp increase in prolonged waits: in 2025, more than 800 children spent over 12 hours in Accident & Emergency (A&E) departments before admission to mental health units, compared with just 237 in 2019. These delays have raised significant concern among healthcare professionals.

One paediatric nurse working in a London hospital described the situation as “frankly barbaric,” emphasizing that lengthy waits for children in mental health distress should never occur but are becoming increasingly commonplace.

Professor Nicola Ranger, general secretary and chief executive of the RCN, characterized the statistics as evidence of a "catastrophic system-wide failure" in the provision of urgent mental healthcare for children. She stressed that the current state of care represents a profound failure to meet the needs of young patients.

The findings highlight ongoing challenges within the NHS related to timely and appropriate mental health support for children presenting in emergency settings. The increase in demand, coupled with delays in accessing specialist services, underscores the pressure on health systems to improve both capacity and response times to better safeguard vulnerable children in crisis.