Young people continue to be admitted to adult mental health wards, prompting experts to call for urgent reforms to improve age-appropriate care.
Recently Mental Health Awareness Week (12-18 May) shone a spotlight on the importance of open conversations and reducing stigma around mental health, but figures from this latest research underscore the critical need to ensure that young people receive support and interventions in age-appropriate settings tailored to their developmental and emotional needs.
Funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) East Midlands, in collaboration with ARC East of England, ARC Oxford and Thames Valley, ARC Greater Manchester and our own ARC West Midlands, the study highlights serious concerns around safeguarding, inadequate access to education, and limited treatment options for young people placed in adult mental health settings.
As part of the study, led by Professor Kapil Sayal from the University of Nottingham and Dr Anne-Marie Burn from the University of Cambridge, researchers interviewed 29 individuals, including 16- to 17-year-olds, their parents or carers, and professionals working in adult mental health services across England.
“For at least the past 15 years, national policy has been clear that young people aged under 18 should not be admitted to adult mental health wards.”
— Professor Sayal, Principal Investigator
Despite national guidelines advocating for age-appropriate inpatient care, the findings reveal that young people under 18 are still being placed in adult psychiatric wards, often as a result of bed shortages and emergency situations.
Experts are now urging improved integration between adolescent and adult services, enhanced community-based support, and more flexible policies to reduce avoidable admissions.
Professor Sayal, who is also the Principal Investigator of the ‘Far Away from Home’ research programme, said:
“For at least the past 15 years, national policy has been clear that young people aged under 18 should not be admitted to adult mental health wards.
“Sadly, though, these admissions continue to happen, and our research shines a spotlight on the impact of such admissions, particularly about safeguarding and limited available therapeutic provision.”
Professor Sayal added: “Without good coordination between services, such admissions risk holding up and delaying the young person’s mental health care and recovery.”
While adult mental health wards may provide immediate safety, they may lack the necessary resources to support young patients’ long-term recovery.
— Dr Burn, Lead Author
Dr Burn, the lead author, stated:
“Our study underscores the urgent need to ensure that young people receive care in age-appropriate environments.
“While adult mental health wards may provide immediate safety, they may lack the necessary resources to support young patients’ long-term recovery.”
The study was led by the University of Nottingham and involved the University of Cambridge, University of Manchester, University of Warwick, University of York, and NHS Foundation Trusts across England.
To read the study, published in BJPsych Open, click here.
- Burn A-M, Holland J, Roe J, et al. Impact of young people’s admissions to adult mental health wards in England: national qualitative study. BJPsych Open. 2025;11(2):e53. doi:10.1192/bjo.2024.850.