Health inequalities review to call for increased investment in health visitors
Neil Puffett
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
A major review of health inequalities will call for increased investment and focus on health visiting, CYP Now has learned.
The Strategic Review of Health Inequalities in England post-2010, led bySir Michael Marmot, is due to make a number of recommendations togovernment in December on issues that need to be tackled.
Initial findings include addressing the "workforce crisis" in healthvisiting and putting more effort into outreach services.
These have been backed up by the Community Practitioners and HealthVisitors' Association (CPHVA), which provided the review withevidence.
Cheryll Adams, lead professional officer at the CPHVA, said the reviewwill need to be championed at a high level for the findings to beimplemented.
"The Acheson review on health inequalities, a very well-respected pieceof work in 1998, made a very strong case for more health visitors doingmore health visiting at the beginning of the Labour government," shesaid.
"Very disappointingly the outcome has been the complete opposite."
The Marmot Review will be published just months before a generalelection.
The Conservatives have pledged to recruit an additional 4,200 healthvisitors if elected to power.
The Labour government has already launched an Action on Health Visitingprogramme in an attempt to identify and address issues in the area.
