“Who are health visitors and what do they do?”: iHV infographics launched

One of the biggest challenges facing the health visiting profession is that many people do not know who health visitors are, or what their role entails. How can we expect the Government to invest in health visiting if this is not clear?

All families in England should receive five mandated universal health visiting contacts, from pregnancy to when their child starts school . Yet, these contacts are just a small fraction of health visitors’ work. Health visitors are a vital part of the ‘health’ workforce, providing much more intensive support for families experiencing some of the most challenging circumstances for a multitude reasons – however, this work is mostly hidden from sight and rarely gets media attention. As a result, this infrastructure of support that health visitors provide is vulnerable to service cuts which are ongoing.

Our aim was to make the work of the health visitor more visible. Last week, as part of the iHV Spending Review submission, we launched two new infographics setting out “Who are health visitors and what do they do?” and “It’s time to invest in health visiting because…”.

iHV Infographic – Who are health visitors and what do they do?

iHV Infographic – It’s time to invest in health visiting because…

Read iHV's infographic on 'who are health visitors' and 'what do they do'

Read iHV’s infographic on ‘It’s time to invest in health visiting because...'

The infographics showcase the multitude of ways that health visitors support thousands of families every week, providing a vital infrastructure of support. When sufficiently resourced, the health visiting service provides an important part of the solution for multiple cross-government department priorities for children, which we have set out in our Spending Review.

Download and use these infographics to shine a spotlight on the work of health visitors locally and nationally.

Public services are flooded with increasing need. It’s time to #InvestInHealthVisiting – join the campaign to #TurnOffTheTaps

Calling all health visitors:

We invite you to find your inner warrior and share your stories on social media. How have you made a difference to babies, children and families? Support the #TurnOffTheTaps campaign and raise the profile of health visiting so every baby can get the best start in life. Together we are stronger. #InvestInHealthVisiting

Find out more about the #TurnOffTheTaps campaign

iHV submits powerful evidence to Government’s multi-year Spending Review 2022-23 to 2024-25

The iHV has provided the Treasury with the latest evidence and cost benefits for new investment into health visiting as part of its multi-year Spending Review. The Spending Review representation makes the case for improving outcomes for babies, children and families through a strengthened health visiting service.

In this submission, we have offered solutions to the challenges that this country faces with a growing NHS backlog and billions spent annually on costly late intervention. We are calling for investment to deliver the Government’s Start for Life Vision. This includes:

A £500 million ringfenced uplift in the Public Health Grant over the next three years.
Investing enough to reach a total of 5,000 additional health visitors over the next 5 years, with 3,000 in this spending review.
Strengthening the leadership capability in health visiting services.
‘ICS academies for child and family health’ within selected early adopter sites. Improving integration represents a fundamental shift in health and care delivery and it will be important to have systems in place to support and evaluate the implementation of ICSs and inform wider system learning.

Read iHV’s evidence for the multi-year Spending Review

We are delighted to have such a groundswell of support for this call for investment in health visiting from leading professional bodies, organisations and experts working to improve outcomes for children and reduce inequalities. They represent a united and powerful voice for change.

We have more evidence than any other generation that investment in the earliest years of life represents the smartest of all investments. We also have some of the worst child health outcomes amongst comparable nations, with widening inequalities.

Collectively, we have come together to present a clear blueprint for the future that should not be ignored.

The Chancellor has said that the Spending Review will make people’s lives better by levelling up across the UK, building infrastructures for growth with strong and innovative public services. The evidence is clear that investing in an infrastructure for the earliest years of life represents the smartest of all investments, building the human potential to advance ‘Global Britain’ and reducing inequalities, yet this currently receives insufficient attention.

It is time to for the Government to deliver on its pledge to ‘rebuild health visiting and the Healthy Child Programme’. This cannot be left for another 3 years.

We thank our partners for their support:

The ‘One Voice Partnership’ (which includes the Royal College of Midwives (RCM), the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG); Sands and the National Childbirth Trust (NCT)
The First 1001 Days Movement
The National Network of Designated Healthcare Professionals for Children UK
Health Policy Influencing Group
Maternal Mental Health Alliance
Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.

We want everyone to know what health visitors do and why their role is so important. How can we expect the Government to invest in health visiting when the role is ‘hidden’?

We want to make the work of health visitors visible. The iHV has created two infographics which explain: ‘Who health visitors are and what they do’ #InvestInHealthVisiting.

Putting everything that health visitors do into a single infographic has been difficult, as they provide a vital infrastructure of support in the earliest years. We have therefore focused predominantly on the many ways that health visitors support the work of the NHS which is being flooded with rising need, as this is a government priority.

We appreciate that there is so much more that health visitors do that isn’t covered. This is just the beginning – in the coming months we will keep showcasing the fabulous work that health visitors are doing as a modern, innovative and essential workforce – a vital infrastructure for the earliest years.

iHV Infographic – Who are health visitors and what do they do?

iHV Infographic – It’s time to invest in health visiting because…

Read iHV’s infographic on ‘who are health visitors’ and ‘what do they do'

Read iHV’s infographic on ‘It’s time to invest in health visiting because...'

Calling all health visitors:

Find out more about the #TurnOffTheTaps campaign

A Parent’s letter to the Chancellor: ‘Invest in vital health visitors who saved my life’

We are delighted to support a parent’s call to action, campaigning for investment in ‘vital’ health visitors. Leanne, a mother of two, has urged Rishi Sunak, Chancellor of the Exchequer, to make sure every family has access to health visitors after they saved her life when she struggled with mental health problems.

Leanne Howlett

Following her experience, Leanne founded a local charity, ‘By Your Side’ – to support parents who are experiencing mental health difficulties during pregnancy or after the birth of their baby.

Yesterday, Leanne sent a letter to Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with the support of 125 parents asking for commitment to ensure that new and prospective parents, no matter where they live, have access to a high quality health visiting service, when and where they need it.

Leanne’s story has featured in the Daily Express Newspaper today and you can read it here

Leanne says:

“To have to reach out and say you are struggling is the hardest call you will ever make and, for many, it can feel impossible. For this reason, so many parents end up struggling at home alone, behind closed doors, afraid to speak up. I was very lucky that healthcare professionals spotted the signs, and I don’t doubt for a second that this saved my life”.

Read Leanne's letter to Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid

We would like to say a heartfelt thank you to Leanne and all the parents who are supporting this campaign. The spending review is a crucial moment for the Chancellor to invest in rebuilding the health visiting workforce.

Would you, as a parent, like to add your name?

If any parents would like to add their name to Leanne’s letter, please click on the link below. Please share the link with the families that you support.

Click here to add your name to Leanne's letter

Calling all health visitors:

Find out more about the #TurnOffTheTaps campaign

#TurnOffTheTaps – Health Visitors: No more goodbyes

We are delighted to publish a Voices blog today, written by Dr Peter Green, Chair of The National Network of Designated Healthcare Professionals for Safeguarding,

Peter emphasises the important safeguarding functions of health visiting services, stating that the child and family support system has already suffered enough from post-crash austerity. Peter explains how the needs of babies and children have been forgotten about in the pandemic, which has only made matters worse. Peter highlights how the current campaign to fight cuts to health visitor services is key to reversing a decline in child safeguarding effectiveness.

Peter champions the health visiting profession stating that health visitors are vital to child and family wellbeing because they form core relationships with families without which our most vulnerable babies and children remain invisible to services. He states that health visiting is an area which should be expanded upon and that babies and children’s needs should now be prioritised in the manner that adults were in the pandemic.

Find out more and read Peter's blog

We would like to say a heart felt thank you to Peter for taking the time to write this brilliant blog and for championing the health visiting profession.

#TurnOffTheTaps campaign needs you

Please join the campaign and share your stories on social media on how you made a difference to babies and children’s lives. Lets make sure all families get the help and support they need, when they need it.

Find out more about the #TurnOffTheTaps campaign

#TurnOffTheTaps – Reduce the burden on the NHS

We are delighted to share a case study written by Helen, who is a health visitor working in the East of England. Helen’s case study demonstrates the breadth of the health visiting role and through using her specialist public health nursing skills, was able to identify several problems which were impacting on the whole family’s health and wellbeing.

What started out to be a mother’s request for sleep support for her 10-week-old baby was actually a cry for help as the mother was suffering with perinatal illness, alongside having relationship difficulties with her partner. Helen built a trusting relationship with both parents and identified what the problems were, to ensure the whole family were supported.

Many positive outcomes were achieved for the family:

There was an improvement in perinatal mental health symptoms
The parents’ relationship improved
The infant and parent relationship strengthened
The mother ceased seeking additional support from her GP and private consultants

Helen received the following feedback from the mother:

‘I just wanted to say a big thank you for your support for the past year. It feels like a huge milestone reaching 12 months. I really appreciate your steady and non-judgemental support, and we wouldn’t have made it here without you. Thank you.’

Helen was able to #TurnOffTheTaps and reduce the burden on the NHS

Read Health Visitor and Perinatal & Infant Mental Health Case Study

Calling all health visitors:

We invite you to find your inner warrior and share your stories on social media. How have you made a difference to babies, children and families? Support the #TurnOffTheTaps campaign and raise the profile of health visiting so every baby can get the best start in life. Together we are stronger. #InvestInHealthVisiting

Find out more about the #TurnOffTheTaps campaign

#TurnOffTheTaps – Dying for Investment

Today, as part of our ongoing #TurnOffTheTaps campaign calling on the Government for investment into health visiting, we are delighted to publish a blog by Alison Leary, Professor and Chair of Healthcare & Workforce Modelling at London Southbank University.

Alison is the leading national expert in healthcare workforce modelling. Her blog makes the case for health visiting as a ‘safety critical’ workforce and sets out clear rationale to challenge current misguided thinking that health visitors can be replaced by unregulated practitioners who are not part of the health workforce.

Alison also clearly sets out the added value of having an infrastructure of support for families planned and delivered by highly skilled Specialist Community Public Health Nurses. Alison’s blog provides a stark reminder to policy makers of the current catastrophic harm caused to babies and young children through poorly thought out policy decisions driven by short-sighted efforts to save money in the short term.

Read Alison Leary's blog “Dying for investment: health visiting, a safety critical workforce”

Calling all health visitors: We invite you to find your inner warrior and share your stories on social media. How have you made a difference to babies, children and families? Support the #TurnOffTheTaps campaign and raise the profile of health visiting so every baby can get the best start in life. Together we are stronger. #InvestInHealthVisiting

Find out more about the #TurnOffTheTaps campaign