10th May 2024
Ahead of International Nurses Day, on Sunday 12 May 2024, we are delighted to share this Voices blog by Alison Morton, CEO iHV. Alison shines a spotlight on the specialist role that health visitors play in improving the nation’s health through their work with babies, children and families, and gives a personal thank you to all health visitors and health visiting teams.
Alison Morton, CEO, iHV
The World Health Organization (WHO) celebrates International Nurses Day which is held every year on 12 May on the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth. Despite being the backbone of healthcare provision, the role of nurses is frequently undervalued. This year’s international day aims to reshape perceptions of nursing, demonstrating how strategic investment in the profession can bring considerable economic and societal benefits.
At the iHV, we celebrate International Nurses Day by shining a spotlight on the specialist role that health visitors play in improving the nation’s health through their work with babies, children and families focused on preventative public health and early intervention.
Like nurses, the role of health visitors is often poorly understood by policymakers. Across the UK, health visitors support millions of families every year – reaching more families with babies and young children than any other health or care service – and by a very long way! They are highly skilled and trusted professionals who families welcome into their homes and value their expertise and support across a breadth of physical health and mental health needs (for babies, children and adults), as well as child development, social needs and safeguarding. If we are serious about improving our nation’s health, we need to follow the evidence and give every child the best start in life – and health visitors have a vital role to play in achieving this by improving health in the earliest years and reducing inequalities.
“For International Nurses Day, I want to say thank you to all the health visitors and nurses working in health visiting teams, across the UK and beyond. Your professionalism, dedication and skill at working in partnership with families during some of their happiest, as well as most challenging, times of their lives makes such a difference to so many. Yet, it often does not receive the recognition that it deserves. Today, and every day, be proud of the work that you do – at the iHV we will continue to shine a spotlight on the importance of health visiting, public health and prevention. It really is much better than cure!”
To find out more about the role of the health visitor, watch our short film “Health visiting in your community”.
Don’t just take our word for it – listen to a wide range of other organisations and individuals speaking up about the importance of health visiting:
Watch the short film on health visiting by Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales who said, “Families need support, like we’ve seen today, more than ever. And it’s so important that we recognise and celebrate this amazing role that health visitors play up and down the country.” (HRH The Princess of Wales, 2023).
Watch the film here.
Read Why Health Visitors Matter by the First 1001 Days Movement.
Read my recent paper by on the role of the health visitor for the Paediatrics and Child Health Journal here.
Alison Morton, CEO iHV
