According to the latest figures from NHS Digital, the number of people in contact with NHS mental health services in England (including those referred and those seen) has increased by 16.2% in the last year, (2021-22).
In this report, a person is considered to be ‘in contact’ if they have had an open referral with secondary mental health, learning disabilities and autism services. It may include referrals that did not result in a patient attending a service or receiving treatment. The statistics may also reflect the impact of COVID-19, even though there were no official lockdowns during the reporting period.
The increase means that 5.8% of people in England were known to be in contact with those services during the year. This is compared to 5.0% of people in 2020-21 and 5.1% of people in 2019-20.
Published by NHS Digital, the Mental Health Bulletin, 2021-22 Annual report also includes breakdowns by age, gender, ethnicity and deprivation. For instance, the number of under 18-year-olds in contact with NHS mental health services in England increased by 29.2% in the last year. In addition, 18.2% of the country’s 16-year-olds and 16.6% of the country’s 17-year-olds were in contact with NHS mental health services. 16-year-old girls are most likely to be in contact with NHS mental health services - with 22.8% of the population having been in contact with these services during 2021-22.
The Mental Health Bulletin also provides separate tables on inpatient and outpatient numbers and includes figures on those receiving the highest level of care.
