Latest NHS statistics show there were 9,410 full-time equivalent health visitors employed in the NHS, compared with 10,309 the year before - a drop of 8.7 per cent.
Meanwhile, there were 2,561 full-time equivalent school nurses employed in the NHS, compared with 2,725 the year before - a six per cent decline.
Union Unite has raised concerns that the drop in numbers has followed the government's decision to transfer public health commissioning responsibilities for children under five from NHS England to local authorities in October 2015.
It warns that a lack of collective oversight of the groups of professionals will lead to further cutbacks, as the professions are under increased pressure as a result of the general financial crisis in the NHS, local authority budget cuts, and new operational arrangements that began last year.
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