According to NHS figures from the Hospital Episodes Statistics datasets, the rise of young people and children self-harming has dramatically risen over the last 10 years. Girls are more likely to be admitted to hospital after poisoning, attempted hanging or cutting themselves, but there has also been a rise among boys too.

Figures from the NHS Digital Show have seen girls under 18 rise from 9,741 to 13, 853 who have needed hospital treatment after attempting to poison themselves and 600 to 2, 311 increase in girls being treated for self-harming cuts. Boys have also increased although not so dramatically, figures show in the same 10 year period there has been an increase by 286% of number of boys cutting themselves.

Experts have said the dramatic rise can be linked to many factors such as; pressures to succeed at school, effects of social media, children’s body image fears and increasing sexualisation.

It was only last week that Jeremy Hunt, the health secretary criticised the NHS and “mental health services for children and adolescents were the biggest single area of weakness in NHS provision” pledging to make children’s mental health a priority.

With such a sharp rise in the last 10 years more needs to be put in place in safeguarding children and ensuring all healthcare provisions are up to date on measures that are in place. Train Healthcare offer a Skills for Health aligned Safeguarding Course levels 1-3 covering a wide range of topics such as the protection of children and the concept of significant harm and vulnerable children.

For more information on this course and other courses we provide click here.