Number of autistic people in mental health hospitals: latest data

The latest monthly Assuring Transformation NHS Digital data shows that in October 2025: 

• 2,020 autistic people and people with a learning disability are in mental health hospitals in England. Of these, 1,465 (73%) are autistic.
• There are 220 under 18s in inpatient units that are autistic or have a learning disability. Of these, 210 (95%) are autistic.
• The number of autistic people without a learning disability detained in mental health hospitals has increased by 146% since 2015.

This is the most up-to-date record of how many autistic people and people with a learning disability are currently in mental health hospitals in England. 

Despite some progress moving people with a learning disability out of hospital and into the community, the number of autistic people detained has increased. In 2015, autistic people made up 38% of the total number in hospital, now it is 73%.

Do autistic people need to be in inpatient units and why do they get ‘stuck’ there?

It is widely recognised that for most autistic people, care in an inpatient unit is rarely helpful – in fact, it can be deeply damaging. 

The average length of stay is around 4.7 years and we continue to hear alarming cases of overmedication, seclusion, and unnecessary restraint.

The overwhelming majority (92%) of autistic people and people with a learning disability who are detained in hospital are put there using the Mental Health Act 1983. We and thousands of campaigners have been calling for changes to mental health law for years, so it respects autistic people’s rights.

In 2022, a draft bill to reform the Mental Health Act was published which could stop people being detained for treatment just because they’re autistic. This was a significant step, but there were delays in bringing the Bill forward.

In November 2024 the Mental Health Bill was finally introduced to Parliament. It has since gone through the parliamentary scrutiny process and is nearing Royal Assent, where it will become law.    

An opportunity to end this scandal

The Mental Health Bill presents an opportunity to end this human rights scandal and put right a history of broken promises.

In 2011, shocking abuse was uncovered at Winterbourne View Hospital, an inpatient unit for people with learning disabilities. This scandal led to acknowledgement that there is a significant number of autistic people and people with a learning disability inappropriately detained – largely because community services to support them simply do not exist. 

Several targets have since been set which have not been met. The Transforming Care programme aimed to close up to half of inpatient mental health beds and move people back to the community by 1 June 2014. This did not happen.

The 2019 NHS Long-Term Plan committed to halving the number of autistic people and people with a learning disability detained from 2015 levels by March 2024. This target was reaffirmed in the former government’s 2022 Building the Right Support Action Plan, but was missed by a substantial margin – largely driven by the increase in autistic people detained.

What is the National Autistic Society doing?

Alongside autistic people and families, we have been highlighting these injustices and campaigning for better services in the community. 

In 2022 we presented evidence to the Joint Committee on the Draft Mental Health Bill, emphasising how important it is to reform mental health and social care services.

In 2023, we launched our Time to Act campaign in collaboration with Mencap, calling for the Bill to urgently be brought forward. Our open letter to Rishi Sunak received 18,324 signatures. 

Since November 2024, we have been working at every stage of parliamentary scrutiny to make sure the final Bill works for autistic people. As part of this we have been calling on the Government to publish a plan for building community support for autistic people and people with a learning disability.

The Government has since committed to working with people with lived experience and other experts to shape a roadmap for building this support and making sure the important changes for autistic people and people with a learning disability in the Mental Health Bill can be ‘switched on’ as soon as possible.  

We hold the Government to account on this commitment, and continue to meet with MPs and Peers, ask important questions in Parliament, and demand an end to the scandal of autistic people being wrongly held in mental health hospitals.

Further information

• Read our news story on the Joint Committee’s report on the Government’s Draft Mental Health Bill
• Read our new story on the Mental Health Bill being introduced to Parliament
• Read our news story on ‘one year on’ since the NHS Long Term Plan target was missed
• Read our information, advice and guidance about autism and mental health