New analysis has highlighted a dramatic rise in the number of emergency hospital admissions for children with autism in England. The new analysis of the latest NHS figures shows that the number of autistic children needing emergency care has increased by 86% since 2019. In 2023/24 alone, 20,839 autistic children were admitted to hospital in crisis, compared to just 11,197 in 2019/20.
Across the same period, the total number of emergency hospital admissions has remained consistent (6,509,686 in 2019/2020 and 6,529,851 in 2023/2024) pointing to a worrying trend for autistic children and their families.
The analysis has been conducted by Positive Support Group (PSG), a leading behavioural health partner for the NHS. PSG specialises in working with people and families who have complex and risky behavioural and mental health needs. In many cases PSG’s work is focused on keeping severely autistic children out of hospital, and safely in their home and communities.
The rise in emergency hospital admissions for autistic children is placing immense pressure on NHS services and leaving thousands of families in crisis. In many cases discharging autistic children can be difficult due to their complex needs, which can lead to prolonged stays in hospital.
In one recent case, PSG worked to safely discharge an autistic child who had spent over 120 days in hospital, with no medical need to be in such high-cost care. PSG worked with partners to swiftly and safely discharge them from hospital.
Becky Bincan, 46, is a single-mum-of-five and a charity worker from Northwest London. Her daughter Sofia, 14, is autistic and was taken to A&E in an ambulance in 2023 due to her risk of harm.
“Sofia is a twin. When she was a baby, I realised that she has very different needs from her sister. When she was four, Sofia was diagnosed with autism. I was scared as I didn’t really know what that meant and was unsure about how I would cope.
“As Sofia got older her behaviour became more and more aggressive and dangerous – to herself and to others around her. This all came to a head when she was taken to hospital in an ambulance in 2023. I didn’t know how to cope. I thought that something really bad was going to happen.
“We were referred to PSG shortly after Sofia’s hospital visit. They spent a lot of time with Sofia to understand her behaviours and develop ways to help her cope. They’ve stabilised our family and they were there to support me, giving me hope for the future. Without this I think Sofia would have ended up back in hospital or with social services.”
Mum of three Vickie Pycroft, 35, is a nurse from Sutton-in-Ashfield in Nottinghamshire. Her daughter Ruby is nine years old and is autistic along with having a severe learning disability. Vickie describes how her family was on verge of breakdown and how expert early-intervention support from PSG helped avoid crisis point, keeping Ruby safe and at home:
“Ruby was diagnosed with autism when she was five. She also has a mix of physical health problems and it’s been almost impossible to meet all her needs. Without constant supervision Ruby could hurt herself – not intentionally but because she’s just so unsafe. She is predictably unpredictable, the safest option for everyone for a long time was to keep her separate from other children. The way things were going, Ruby would have caused a severe injury to herself or one of her siblings or significantly damaged our house.
“We were at crisis point and our family was on the verge of breaking down. The support we’ve had has made such a difference to our family. All the usual strategies for autistic children just hadn’t been working, but PSG took so much time to understand Ruby and helped us come up with solutions that work for her. We’ve got some really good plans, and we are no longer living in chaos all the time. Ruby is now increasing the amount of time she can safely spend with her siblings – including sitting on the sofa within arm’s reach which was previously impossible.”
Sarah Wakeling, CEO at Positive Support Group, said: "These worrying figures underline the growing pressure on children’s mental health services and the urgent need to rethink how we provide support for autistic children and their families. Rising emergency admissions reflect the gaps in early intervention, specialist education, and community-based mental health care."
"At Positive Support Group, we work in close partnership with the NHS and Local Authorities to deliver high-quality, preventative support that helps families before they reach crisis point. Our work shows that when the right support is in place at the right time, outcomes improve, and hospital admissions fall. Furthermore, with the right services, we can ensure that people are not staying in high-cost hospital settings any longer than they medically need to. Sustainable investment in community services is not just the right thing to do — it’s also better for families and better value for the public sector."
Pippa Sargent, CEO at The Brain Charity said: “These figures highlight the growing need for better support for autistic children and their families. Too many families struggle to access the right help early enough, leading to crises that could often be avoided. At The Brain Charity, we believe that with the right community-based support and early intervention, we can reduce the need for emergency hospital admissions and help children thrive in the environments that suit them best.”
For more information visit: positivesupportgroup.com/
