NEW NHS statistics show that 2.34 million people had an open referral with mental health services in England at the end of August 2026, highlighting the scale of demand across NHS-funded secondary mental health, learning disability and autism services.
The Mental Health Services Monthly Statistics, Performance August 2026 report, published on 8 October, provides the latest available picture of people using these services. Of those with open referrals, 1.65 million were in contact with adult mental health services.
A further 506,475 people had open referrals with children and young people’s mental health services, while 286,633 had open referrals with learning disability and autism services.
The figures reflect people with open referrals at the end of the month, rather than the number newly referred during August. The publication excludes people whose only contact with mental health services was through NHS Talking Therapies.
During August, NHS-funded mental health services received 446,269 new referrals. The report also recorded 2.20 million attended care contacts during the month, illustrating the volume of activity across services.
These measures provide an overview of demand and service use, but do not independently establish how long people waited for care, whether their needs were met or how outcomes varied between services.
The statistics are intended to provide timely information for operational decision-making and other purposes. The publication includes data across providers, mental health trusts, regions and other NHS and local authority geographies.
At the end of August, 24,456 people were subject to the Mental Health Act, including 16,735 people detained in hospital.
The figures provide a further measure of the mental health care being delivered in England, alongside open referrals and attended care contacts. However, the headline totals alone do not explain the reasons for detention or indicate changes in the severity of people’s conditions.
NHS England also provides a Mental Health Services Time Series Dashboard, with selected measures dating back to April 2016, allowing users to examine trends over time and explore some demographic and geographical breakdowns.
The underlying time-series data are available in CSV format. Together, these resources enable service planners and other users to examine patterns in referrals, care contacts and service use, while the report’s data quality information sets out considerations around coverage and completeness.
NHS England. 2026. Available at: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and information/publications/statistical/mental-health-services-monthly-statistics/performance-august-2026. Last accessed: 9 October 2026.
Featured Image: Piya W on Adobe Stock
Featured Image: Piya W on Adobe Stock
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