Steep drops in health visitor and school nurse numbers
Gabriella Jozwiak
Monday, March 13, 2017
The number of health visitors has fallen by nearly 900 in the space of a year, while there has also been a significant fall in the number of school nurses, it has emerged.
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.
Unite lead professional officer Obi Amadi warned that families with young children and babies are facing a "ticking health time bomb" as a result.
"This can't be right for a strong preventative public health policy," she said.
"The government needs to secure the future of community nursing by increasing and ringfencing money for these professions and the vital work with families that they carry out on a daily basis.
"What we fear is that overall workforce planning for health visiting and school nursing will fall between the NHS and local authorities - such a split can't be the best way forward and would be another example of further NHS fragmentation."
Health visitors recently warned they could experience further cutbacks if the government decided not to maintain a requirement on local authorities for the professionals to carry out five checks on children before their fifth birthday.
In March the Department of Health announced that the mandatory status of the checks will continue.
Despite this, Institute of Health Visiting executive director Cheryll Adams said the government risks creating a postcode lottery for children's health services.
She argued that well delivered public health services would save the NHS money, by reducing pressures on functions such as accident and emergency.
"An added danger on top of reducing the public health budget is the policy of localism, which means every council is developing its own services for zero to 19s," she added.
"There is a real danger this will create a postcode lottery. This can only serve to increase inequality for children and families across the country."
Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health chief executive Judith Ellis said her organisation was "very concerned" about the reported fall in health visitor numbers.
"Health visiting services are crucial in supporting the health and wellbeing of women, young children and their families, covering key areas such as maternal mental health, breastfeeding, safeguarding including domestic violence and sensitive family relationships, reducing obesity, managing minor illness and accident prevention, and school readiness.
"What's needed is investment, not disinvestment, in early years and new families.
"Cutting the numbers of health visitors risks not only the health of this generation, but future generations."
Between 2010 and 2015 the government led a drive to recruit an additional 4,200 health visitors. However, it narrowly missed the target.
The Department of Health has been contacted for comment.
