NHS ‘missing’ thousands of mental health patients who are only seen by ambulances

Young people in distress who are treated by paramedics or A&E staff are not being recorded in England's health statistics

Thousands of patients are being omitted from official health statistics because they are not seen by hospitals or GPs, according to a groundbreaking study of ambulance data in England.

More than a third of people who made calls attended by Yorkshire ambulance service (YAS) last year - 288,000 of about 800,000 - did not go to hospital. Many of these patients had mental health issues.