Warning over children's mental health support

"SCATTER gun" mental health support for North East children is leaving some youngsters falling through the cracks, NHS bosses have warned.

- DANIEL HOLLAND Local democracy reporter

City leaders in Newcastle were told on Monday that there had been a “huge” surge in demand for help with children and young people's mental health over the past five years - and that a broad array of support services was causing confusion for both families and professionals.

Members of Newcastle's health and wellbeing board heard how referrals to mental health services commissioned by the Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear (CNTW) NHS Foundation Trust for five to 18-year-olds had jumped by more than 30% between 2019 and 2023, while the number of children aged four and under referred to Newcastle Hospitals’ early years autism diagnosis pathway increased from 62 in 2012 to 268 in 2024.