WIREDGOV

Health visitors play a vital role in our communities but councils face growing shortages of them.

Commenting on a report by the Institute of Health Visiting highlighting growing challenges with staffing and the cost of living, Cllr David Fothergill, Chairman of the Local Government Association’s Community Wellbeing Board said:

“As this survey clearly shows, health visitors play a vital role in our communities but councils face growing shortages of them, with the number of health visitors decreasing by nearly 40 per cent since 2015 due to cuts in councils’ public health grant. 

“At a time of increasing need and complexity, health visitors are needed now more than ever. That is why the Government should commit to an ambitious plan to increase the number of health visitors so we can rebuild and regain these vital public health nursing services that have been lost over the last decade. 

“Long-term investments in these key services can benefit children’s lives both now and into the future through improving their school-readiness, attainment, resilience, and taking away burdens from our over-stretched health service.”