Figures published by the NHS show that in September 2017 a total of 126,782 appointments were carried out by health visitors in England - the highest figure for a single month since the data started being collected in October 2015.
It represents a rise of 18.6 per cent on the 106,924 appointments conducted in August 2017.
The sharp increase comes despite a marked drop in the overall number of health visitors in recent years.
NHS workforce statistics show that the number of health visitors fell by 1,812 between October 2015 and September 2017, from 10,309 full time equivalent positions to 8,497.
The number of appointments being carried out by health visitors is calculated based on the five health checks that they are required to conduct.
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