Health visitors crucial for early intervention - Brooke

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Mon 16th Apr 2007

Health visitors have a vital role to play in supporting parents - Brooke

Commenting on the launch of the Family & Parenting Institute's campaign to increase families' access to health visitors, Annette Brooke MP, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Children, Young People and Families, said:

"Early intervention is essential to help children achieve their potential, but how can this be achieved whilst the number of health visitors is falling?

"Health visitors have a vital role to play in supporting the all important role of parents. Parenting is a difficult and demanding job, and all parents should have support available in order to provide the best chances for their families.

"What is the point of 57 supernannies spread across the whole country if important points of contact with health visitors are missing?  It is clear that PCTs have tackled their local deficits by not employing so many health visitors. The Government has now launched an inquiry after the event. Liberal Democrats look for real action to address the problems it has created and to give back to parents their valued support from health visitors."

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

Family and Parenting Institute Campaign for Health Visitors

The Family and Parenting Institute has launched a campaign to raise the voice of parents in the debate about the future of health visiting, to protect the future of our unique health visiting service by securing a well funded, well trained universal health visitor network accessible to all parents of children under five with additional help for those who need it most.

New evidence from a YouGov poll of 4775 parents of children under the age of five who were visited by a health visitor shows that parents give health visitors a clear mandate with overwhelming support for their role:

76 per cent of parents said they wanted parenting support and advice on their child's health and development from a trained health visitor with up-to-date knowledge

83 per cent of parents wanted that support and advice in the home

The Family and Parenting Institute has presented a three point plan to Government, a plan which will give parents the service they want:

A universal health visitor service for all parents with an intensive service for parents who will benefit most.

A preventative health visitor service - the key to unlocking support for vulnerable families who are still missing out

Better training for health visitors and a better career structure.

Public Accounts Select Committee

Annette Brooke is a member of the Public Accounts Committee, which examined the National Audit Office report on Sure Start Children's Centres on 22 January 2007:

Annette Brooke: … On page 32, the [National Audit Office] report states: "Centres considered that shortages of health visitors and funding pressures within Primary Care Trusts had contributed to difficulties in gaining commitment from health organisations to prioritise the work". I add to that a parliamentary answer that I had a short time ago that told me that the number of health visitors actually fell between 2004-05 and was certainly much lower than in 2001 [ref: 105859, 28 November 2006]. Can we really be assured that there is good working at both national and local level between health and education?

…

Hilary Samson-Barry: The number of health visitors fell nationally in 2004-05, but that is still significantly higher than it was in 1997. The number of health visitor vacancies in March 2006 was the lowest that it had been for the previous six years. Recognising the importance of health visitors, the Secretary of State for Health has asked the chief nursing officer to initiate a review of health visiting, which is led by Ros Lowe. It is taking place and will report in April to the Secretary of State.

…

Link to full National Audit Office report: http://www.nao.org.uk/publications/nao_reports/06-07/0607104.pdf