A Suffolk mental health clinician warns support for children is failing to keep pace with demand
The concerns follow a major report by leading charities, which says long waits and limited early support are leaving thousands of young people without help.
Last updated 28th Jan 2026
The mental health of children and young people in the UK is under “unprecedented strain”, according to a major new report by leading mental health charities, which warns services are failing to keep pace with rising need.
The report
The report, Future Minds, published by organisations including the Centre for Mental Health, Centre for Young Lives, the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition and YoungMinds, says rates of emotional distress among young people have risen sharply in recent years, while access to timely support remains limited.
It describes the UK as lagging behind comparable countries on measures such as young people’s life satisfaction and highlights a sharp rise in diagnosable mental illness and the number of young people not in education, employment or training.
The authors warn that many children face long waits for specialist care or are turned away altogether, while early intervention is often “patchy or unavailable”.
"Lack of care for patients"
In Suffolk, Fiona Hannah, Clinical Director of Teenage Mental Health, a not-for-profit private mental health service for children and adolescents, said the findings reflected what she is seeing locally.
“When I read that report, absolutely it rang true,” she said. “What alarms me is the lack of care out there for the patients we see.”
Ms Hannah said her service was often approached only after families had exhausted NHS and charitable options.
“Because we’re not funded, we have to charge, so we’re usually the last place people come to,” she said. “But what’s shocking now is the severity of the cases we’re seeing.”
She said children and young people who would previously have received intensive NHS support were now falling through gaps in the system.
“Only recently I saw a young person who had taken a very significant overdose... and they were discharged within 24 hours,” she said. “Three weeks later, they were still waiting for the crisis team to contact them because they weren’t deemed high enough risk. I find that highly alarming.”
Ms Hannah questioned why children’s mental health support was increasingly reliant on charities and private providers.
“The NHS should be funding this,” she said. “Why is children’s mental health being left to be picked up by charities? Cancer care wouldn’t be. Neither should this.”
Why are we seeing an increase?
The report also points to broader societal pressures contributing to worsening mental health, including school-related stress, social media and the lasting impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Ms Hannah said increased focus on league tables and exam performance had added pressure to young people.
“Teachers are judged on results, and that pressure filters down to children,” she said. “Then you add Covid, everything moving online, and children being exposed to information and influences they wouldn’t normally encounter.”
She also raised concerns about young people self-diagnosing mental health conditions online.
“Children are labelling normal emotions as anxiety much more quickly,” she said. “Instead of saying ‘I’m nervous about an exam’, it becomes a diagnosis. That gives it a power it shouldn’t have.”
The Future Minds report sets out a “road-map” for reform, calling for a shift towards prevention, early community-based support and better use of digital tools to reduce waiting times.
Andy Bell, Chief Executive of the Centre for Mental Health, said: “The mental health of children and young people is under unprecedented strain. Too many children face long waits or are turned away from specialist care, while early support is often patchy or unavailable.”
A Mumsnet survey published alongside the report found that 77% of parents were concerned about their child’s mental health, with anxiety the most commonly reported issue.
Justine Roberts, founder and executive chair of Mumsnet, said: “Parents are doing everything possible to support their children, often at significant personal cost, but they are battling a failing system.”
Government response
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said:
"No parent should be worrying about their child's mental health, which is why we have already helped nearly 40,000 more young people access support.
"We are investing an extra £688 million in mental health services this year, we’ve hired 7,000 additional mental health workers, as well as accelerating the rollout of Mental Health Support Teams in schools and colleges.
"We are also opening 50 Young Futures hubs over the next four years, bringing together services to improve mental health and wellbeing."
For background:
• In the first 12 months of this government, nearly 40,000 more children and young people received mental health support compared to the previous 12 months.
• Over 900,000 additional children and young people having access to an NHS-funded Mental Health Support Team in their school or college by Spring 2026. This will mean 60% of all pupils will have access to this innovative early support at school, up from 44% in Spring 2024.
• As confirmed in a Written Ministerial Statement earlier this year, we expect all ICBs to meet the Mental Health Investment Standard for financial year 2025/26.
• The 10 Year Health Plan sets out ambitious plans to boost mental health support across the country.