Self-harm resulted in hundreds of hospital admissions of young people in Northumberland last year, new figures show.

Office for Health Improvement and Disparities figures based on NHS England data show there were around 490 hospital admissions for self-harm for people aged 10 to 24 in Northumberland in the year to March 2023. This was up from 470 during the same period the year before.

Local figures are rounded to the nearest five.

Nationally, 32,624 self-harm hospital admissions were recorded in 2022-23 – a 24% decrease on the year before, when there were 42,793.

There were around 490 hospital admissions for self-harm for people aged 10 to 24 in Northumberland in the year to March 2023. (Photo by Northumbria Healthcare)

placeholder image — There were around 490 hospital admissions for self-harm for people aged 10 to 24 in Northumberland in the year to March 2023. (Photo by Northumbria Healthcare)

The charity Rethink Mental Illness warned many people self-harm in secret and may not be detected by these figures.

Across England, there were 319 admissions due to self-harm per 100,000 young people. The rate was significantly higher in Northumberland, with 1,058.4 such admissions per 100,000.

There was also a significant difference between the rates for boys and girls in the area, 350.3 and 1,832.8 respectively, meaning girls were five times more likely to be admitted to hospital following a self-harm incident.

An NHS spokesperson said: “Children and young people are continuing to face unprecedented pressures, with the NHS providing mental health support to more children than ever before while expanding provision as quickly as possible within the current five-year funding arrangements.

“We know there is even more to do and that is why plans are also in place to ensure more than half of pupils can access an NHS mental health support team offering early support in schools by Spring 2025, significantly ahead of the original target.”

Anyone under 19 can speak anonymously to a Childline counsellor about any issues they are facing by calling 0800 1111.

If you, or someone you know, is experiencing a mental health crisis, including thoughts of self-harming, call NHS 111 and select option 2 for 24/7 access to urgent mental health support.

If you have difficulties communicating or hearing, you can call 18001 111 using the Relay UK app, or go to signvideo.co.uk/nhs111 for the British Sign Language interpreter service.

If you or someone else has physically harmed themselves, or if someone’s life is at risk, call 999 or go to A&E.