Proposals for expanded health visiting service focus on early intervention

The Health Visitor Implementation Plan, which is published today (8 February), sets out proposals to recruit an extra 4,200 health visitors by 2015.

It addresses concerns that some health visitors feel undervalued and reinforces the importance of children’s centres, by pledging that every centre should have access to a named health visitor.

The plan promises that the "rejuvenated" health visiting service will:

• develop, support and promote early years services set up by families and communities themselves
• deliver the Healthy Child Programme — ensuring all children get the essential immunisations, health and development checks
• ensure a rapid response for problems like postnatal depression or a sleepless baby
• provide ongoing support as part of a range of local services working together and with disadvantaged families, to deal with more complex issues over the long term

Public health minister Anne Milton claimed that the extra 4,200 health visitors would be key to revitalising services.

"Health visitors play such an important role — they give families that vital extra bit of support they need in their children’s early years," she explained.

"We need more of them so they can reclaim their role in the heart of our communities and at the centre of family life. As well as new recruits, we also want to encourage those who have left the profession to return. And we will offer existing health visitors the chance to refresh and develop their skills — helping to improve career opportunities and retention."

Dr Peter Carter, Royal College of Nursing chief executive and general secretary, added that health visitors play a vital role in disease prevention and the early identification of health and social problems.

"Health visitors carry out a range of measures that have a lifelong positive impact on the health and quality of the life of children," he said. "The Royal College of Nursing welcomes the opportunity to work closely with government in its endeavours to break what can sometimes be a cycle of deprivation."

Sarah Brennan, chair of the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition, argued that health visitors have the potential to support families and protect scarce public resources by identifying and addressing problems early on. 

But she warned that health visitors need appropriate training in children’s mental and emotional development to fulfil this potential.  

"More health visitors will make a huge improvement in the mental health of the nation if they are appropriately supported and valued," she said.