NHS Confederation responds to plans for mental health support for the young

Responding to NHS England’s announcement that more than 2.4 million children and young people now have access to mental health support in schools and colleges, Sean Duggan, chief executive of the NHS Confederation's Mental Health Network, said:

“It is incredibly welcome news that more children and young people are able to access mental health support in schools and colleges, helping us to meet the additional demand we are seeing.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has left a growing legacy of poor mental health, with projections showing that 1.5 million children and teenagers will need new or additional support for their mental health over the next three to five years.

“It is great that the Government’s target of covering 25% of the student population will be met a year early, however NHS leaders would like to see the Government to commit to a roll out of even more NHS mental health support teams nationally, so larger numbers of children and young people can access the support they need.”