Record number of children and young people seek mental health help in Peterborough

The number of children and young people seeking help for mental health issues in Peterborough and Cambridgeshire has risen to a new high.

New figures show that 10,825 children and young people had at least one contact with mental health services in the NHS Cambridgeshire and Peterborough clinical commissioning group area in the 12 months to May – up from 10,595 in April.

And of these youngsters, 6,480 in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough were still in touch with mental health services by the end of May.

However, across the region, 7,200 children were waiting to be seen at the end of May after being referred by a GP or other health professional.

The growth in the number of youngsters seeking help with their mental has been largely blamed on increasing pressure at school and the impact of lockdowns during the coronavirus pandemic.

The increase is mirrored across England where the number of children who had at least one contact with mental health services in the last year rose by 21 per cent from 570,000 in the year to March 2021 – when national records began – to 690,000 in the year to May.

Olly Parker, head of external affairs for children's mental health charity YoungMinds, said: "The reality is that month after month we are seeing devastating new records of young people struggling to get treatment and support for their mental health, and month after month, we are left waiting for the Government to take action and end this intensifying crisis.

Mr Parker added: “The pandemic has certainly deepened the crisis in young people’s mental health, with huge disruption to students’ education, many of whom were also dealing with multiple pressures like difficult home environments, bereavement and other trauma.”

He said that many schools did not have the resources to support the wellbeing of their students, who have felt particularly worried about exams since returning to school following the pandemic.

The CPFT (the Cambridge and Peterborough Foundation Trust) has been approached for a response.