Health visitor numbers 'below safe level'

The institute, which was established in 2012 to strengthen the quality of practice, said NHS data shows that the number of health visitors employed has fallen by more than 20 per cent between October 2015, when the transfer occurred, and April this year.

As part of written evidence submitted to the health and social care select committee inquiry into the First 1000 Days of Life, the organisation said the fall has taken overall numbers "down below what we would consider to be safe levels of coverage".

"The national workforce figures offer one illustration of how deeply the public health funding cuts have affected health visiting," the written submission states.

"The vast majority of our interactions with members are about concerns around service cuts and re-tendering exercises."

The written evidence states that the more than 20 per cent drop in professionals is only a "partial picture" of true levels of professionals, as a Health Visiting Minimum Data Set that kept accurate numbers of health visitors was discontinued in 2015 with the transfer of services to local authorities.

As a result, only figures on health visitors employed by NHS organisations and recorded on its Electronic Staff Record are published. The written submission said this makes workforce planning "extremely difficult", as well as putting pressure on health visitors' caseloads.

IHV has recommended that caseload size should not exceed 250 children per full-time-equivalent health visitor, or a maximum ratio of 1:100 in more deprived areas.

The organisation said that during the 2015 transfer, money was transitioned to local authorities on a "lift and shift" basis of each health visitor being responsible for 300 pre-school age children.

The institute has previously warned that falling numbers of health visitors is causing those who remain to consider leaving, out of fear that with growing caseloads they were unable to safeguard children adequately.