Sixth-form colleges in England are being forced to send students undergoing a mental health crisis to A&E, it's claimed.

The Association of Colleges (AoC) blames a lack of specialist support in the community.

The survey of more than 100 colleges found that nearly three-quarters of colleges in England said they did this in 2015/2016.

President of the AoC, Ian Ashman, says "it's not right".

Mental health issues are increasing

Of those who answered the survey, 85% of colleges said there was an increase in students disclosing mental health issues in the past three years, with 54% stating a "significant increase".

In addition, eight out of 10 colleges reported having significant numbers of students with undisclosed mental health difficulties.

And whilst the majority of colleges say that they have dedicated staff to support and refer to specialists, less than half of colleges are able to fund a full-time counsellor or mental health worker on campus.

Colleges "are left with no choice" than to send students to A&E, according to Mr Ashman.

'Overcrowded A&E'

"Accident and emergency units are overloaded and overcrowded and it is not right that colleges are forced to refer so many students to these services, which are often not the most appropriate place for them," says Mr Ashman.

He blames "a lack of investment in joined-up, specialist support for young people and adults in the community".

The AoC says there is a "postcode lottery in the relationship between colleges and their local mental health services" - with most having a "good relationship" but nearly half saying the relationship is "non-existent".

"Where there are good relationships with local health services, they can do much more to address issues before they become serious," Mr Ashman says.

"Effective intervention by such partnerships can avoid students developing more serious problems or getting to the point of a mental health crisis."

Theresa May spoke in parliament earlier this month promising extra funding for mental health reforms, focusing on care for young people.

Specifically about this story, a Government spokesperson said "young people's mental health is a priority for this government.

"We are putting a record £1.4 billion into transforming the support available. Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) put in place local plans to set out how services can work together and we expect colleges to be engaged in drawing up these plans.

"People of all ages sometimes need to go to A&E for their mental health. This is why we are also investing £247 million in mental health services in hospital emergency departments to make sure that patients get the right care for them, at the right time and are referred for further support if needed.

"Colleges play an important role in protecting the mental wellbeing of students.

"The government plans to invest around £7 billion into education or training for 16 to 19 year olds in 2016/17 and colleges have flexibility to determine what programmes and additional support they offer their students and can work together with other providers to combine resources."

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