'We want health visitors to do the job they are trained for'

We want to ensure all families have the expert support they need to get every child off to the best possible start. That’s why we’re committed to funding an extra 4,200 health visitors and improving training and career opportunities - ensuring the growth and transformation of the profession. To make this happen we’ve launched A Call To Action, which calls on all who commission health visiting services and those who provide them to implement this revitalised service. We want a service that lets health visitors do the job they are trained for - offering children, families and local communities a core programme of evidence-based preventative healthcare - in the most effective way possible.

The plan spells out what local commissioners and providers will be expected to deliver, which includes building capacity in community-level services to improve health outcomes. It will also make sure Universal Services, including the Healthy Child Programme (to ensure all children get the essential immunisations, health and development checks), are offered to every family.

Additional specialist services will be available so any family needing extra help gets it; that could mean care packages for a mother with a mental health problem or support for a mother to settle a baby with sleep problems into a routine. It will also offer ongoing support as part of a multi-agency service for a range of special-needs issues or complex problems (such as parenting children with a disability) and contribute to high-intensity care packages where there are safeguarding issues.

So what will this mean? The new service will: develop, support and promote services set up by families and communities; deliver the Healthy Child Programme; ensure a rapid response with expert help for problems such as postnatal depression or a sleepless baby; and provide ongoing support as part of a range of local services working together and with disadvantaged families to deal with more complex issues over a period of time.

For some families, helping at an early stage is the most effective way of dealing with their problems. This involves building on their strengths, improving parenting confidence and, if necessary, referring early for more specialist help. Health visitors, working in partnership with GPs, midwives, Sure Start Children’s Centres and other local organisations, are crucial to ensuring this happens.

But the profession has dramatically eroded in the last decade. In too many areas there are insufficient health visitors to deliver our vision. We must turn this around. Greater and more flexible training is needed for entrants and existing health visitors; we will also offer existing practitioners the chance to refresh and develop their skills - starting with a scheme to be launched in spring to create community capacity to improve health and wellbeing.

Health visitors have been central to developing this new vision and are positive about taking on increased capacity to energise and transform services, to re-establish the profession as a vital part of family and community health and to use their skills to work with others to improve health outcomes and life chances.

We have a new vision for health visiting and now is an exciting time to join what promises to be a rewarding, dynamic and essential service.

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