More than 100,000 people in England visited A&E for depression last year, NHS data shows

NHS Trusts in England recorded 114,000 A&E visits by patients seeking help for depression last year – an average of 312 per day.

Mental health charity Mind said it was "deeply concerning" to see so many people needing emergency care for this reason on a national basis.

NHS Digital data shows in the year to March feeling depressed was the 28th most common reason out of nearly 150 recorded for patients heading to an emergency department, with it recorded as the chief complaint 114,000 times. This came above ailments such as puncture wounds, back injuries, coughs and sore throats.

The chief complaint is what a clinician views, during a patient’s first assessment, as the main reason that drove them to seek emergency care, but is not an official diagnosis.

NHS trusts in England also recorded 83,500 attendances where a diagnosis of depressive disorder was given to patients in A&E over the same period.

However, a patient with this diagnosis may not necessarily have been recorded as “feeling depressed” in their initial assessment.

‘It is deeply concerning’

Leila Reyburn, policy and campaigns manager at Mind, said it is “deeply concerning to see so many people feeling so mentally unwell that they need to go to A&E”.

She added: "This is supported by data which shows an increasing number of people, including children, being treated by the NHS in a mental health crisis.

"Many people have seen their mental health worsen during the pandemic, which is why it is vital the Government uses the upcoming Spending Review to fund mental health services, so that people can get help early on, before they find themselves in an emergency.”

The Government said its NHS Mental Health Implementation Plan sets out the need for the mental health workforce to grow by over 27,000 by 2023-24.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "It is vital that everyone can get the right support when they need it and we are delivering the fastest expansion in mental health services in NHS history, backed by an additional £2.3 billion a year by 2023-24.

"This will benefit hundreds of thousands more people."

The spokesperson added the Government had spent an extra £500 million to help those whose mental health has been impacted by the pandemic, as well as establishing 24/7 urgent helplines at all NHS mental health providers.