Unhealthy plans

Last month we mentioned that the number of Health Visitors had fallen to its lowest level in over a decade, with all it implies for child protection and the master-plan for health visitors to intervene “before the birth of children judged at risk of falling into a life of crime.”

Here’s the latest news:

A survey of 1,000 health visitors has disclosed that 55% of them are now making fewer visits to families – and the biggest impact has been losing track of vulnerable families.

Amicus/the Community Practitioners’ and Health Visitors’ Association, which commissioned the research, said that this will lead to increased cases of child abuse and more mothers struggling with postnatal depression without professional help.

This new ‘double whammy’ for community health services comes a month after Amicus/CPHVA used the Freedom of Information Act to reveal a 40% cut in the number of health visitors being trained in England this year.