THE number of hospital admissions related to mental health issues for under-18-year-olds in Herefordshire is more than double the national average, the latest figures have revealed.

There was a total of 167 mental illness related hospital admissions per 100,000 in 2016/17, according to a public health report published for Herefordshire Council’s cabinet meeting last week.

The national and West Midlands averages for that same period were 82 and 84 respectively. Hospital admissions for self-harm in children have also increased in recent years, with admissions for young women being much higher than admissions for young men.

In Herefordshire, the rate of hospital admissions due to self-harm in persons aged 10 to 24 years was 365.6 per 100,000, lower than nationally at 404.6 and 413.9 per 100,000 respectively. Suicide is a significant cause of death in young adults in the county and is seen as an indicator of underlying rates of mental ill-health.

The local male suicide rate was 17.5 per 100,000 between 2014 and 2016 – the highest it has been since 2004/06 and higher than national and regional averages of 15.3 and 15.9 respectively.

Residents of the most deprived areas of Herefordshire are approximately 19 per cent more likely to die as a result of suicide than the county population in general. The female suicide rate in the county was 4.6 per 100,000; with no significant change since at least the turn of the century and similar to national and regional averages.

A spokesperson for NHS Herefordshire Clinical Commissioning Group, said that working with health and local authority partners, mental health is a priority for them. “Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services in Herefordshire have been recognised as being good with short waiting times which means that we are able to support children and young people more effectively before they reach a crisis and, if necessary, following a crisis,” he said.

“Due to the size of our hospital, when children and young people who need the support from a mental health profession arrive, they are moved to the Children’s and young people’s ward.

“This means that they can be provided with support in a non-stressful and highly professional environment, away from the A&E Department.

“The way in which hospital visits are counted, this is recorded as an admission, whereas in larger hospitals the person may stay within A&E.”

“However, we are not complacent, and the CCG, Wye Valley NHS Trust and the Local Authority will continue to work closely together on issues highlighted in the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment and we are doing further analysis to understand the detail of all hospital admissions for children and young people and wider mental health services.”