Nursery World - Health visitors query government plans

A union that represents health visitors has called for clarification from the Government after last week's Child Health Strategy promised that every Sure Start children's centre would have access to a named health visitor.

Children's centres are also to have a greater role in running morehealth programmes to help reduce obesity and smoking.

The national officer for health at the Unite union said, 'This strategyfor children is long on aspirations and thin on detail, at a time when,according to the NHS's own workforce statistics, a full-time healthvisitor post is lost every 27 hours.'

But the Family and Parenting Institute, which has been campaigning for auniversal health visiting service, said the plan to increase the numberof health visitors would help put an end to a postcode lottery.

Honor Rhodes, director of development at the FPI, said, 'It is totallyunacceptable for one parent to receive more support in the early yearsof their child's life than another, just because of where they live. Weare delighted the Government has recognised the important role they playin helping parents.'

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