Lambeth, Barnet, Haringey and Barking and Dagenham PCTs have between 760 and 894 under-fives to health visitors. County Durham had the best ratio, with 165 children per health visitor.
Union CPHVA/Unite which represents health visitors recommends that health visitors should have a case load of no more than 250 children. Only 16 of 138 PCTs met this target.
Mary McLeod, chief executive of the Family and Parenting Institute, which obtained the figures, said: "This postcode lottery is unacceptable. We need a universal health visitor service."
The institute also compared PCTs' budgets for health visiting, and found the amount spent per child under five varied from more than £386 (Wirral PCT) to just over £60 five (South West Essex Teaching PCT).
Register Now to Continue Reading
Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's Included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector
Already have an account? Sign in here
