Most people rush to A&E departments for physical injuries or emergencies, but a small group of people visit A&E for a mental health reason. These people also tend to wait longer for admission or discharge than those whose attendance is not related to mental health. While there are many possible reasons why their wait times are longer, one could plausibly be an absence of appropriate staff, such as liaison psychiatry teams, to supervise or manage their care.
Liaison psychiatry teams are made up of psychiatrists, mental health nurses and social workers, and they manage care for patients with co-presenting mental and physical health problems before facilitating discharge to appropriate settings. The expectation set by NHS England is that all emergency departments should provide mental health liaison services and respond within an hour to referrals to see patients. The chart below explores how many people are seen in a timely manner, and how this differs between adults and children and young people.
Children and young people are less likely than adults to be seen by a liaison psychiatry team within an hour
Chart
In the year between June 2025 and June 2026, over 400,000 patients in England attended an emergency department with a referral to be seen by a liaison psychiatry team. Over nine in 10 of these patients were adults. 56% of these adults were seen by a team within an hour from referral. For children and young people, this dropped to 46%.
This indicates that regardless of a patient’s age, a significant proportion of patients are not seen within an hour. The relatively flat lines on the chart indicate that this trend did not shift significantly over the 12-month period. However, the difference in access for adults and children and young people remains marked.
Andy Burnham’s new government has announced 59 new mental health emergency departments – a decision that has been widely welcomed. While details on staffing are not yet known, the assumption is that they will be staffed appropriately with liaison psychiatry teams, among other professionals.
The opening of more spaces dedicated to mental health in emergency departments may improve how many and how quickly patients are seen by the liaison psychiatry service. It is especially important that these new centres are designed to assist children and young people. Experiencing a mental health crisis in a chaotic emergency department can be very overwhelming, potentially more so for children. It is important they are seen quickly, by the right people who understand their predicament and who can advocate for their wellbeing.
Suggested citation
Bagri S (2026) "Mental health care in A&E: how different is it for children and young people?", Chart of the week, Nuffield Trust.