iHV response to the Spending Review: ‘Stronger people for the British economy’

Yesterday’s Budget and Spending Review was launched with the title ‘A stronger economy for the British people’ – it sets out the Government’s priorities and vision of a Global Britain.

Why is prioritising the ‘best start in life’ important for a ‘Global Britain’?

The evidence is clear that, if we want a ‘Global Britain’, we need to invest in our human future and build an infrastructure of support for babies, children and families to improve outcomes, reduce inequalities, and build happy, healthy and prosperous adults.

However, we currently have some of the worst child health outcomes in Western Europe, with widening inequalities and spiralling costs of child protection and late intervention. Put bluntly, as a country we are spending more than £16 billion pounds on costly late interventions, or ‘getting it wrong’, every year (and this is estimated to be only a fraction of the true costs). We need to do better.

In the run up to the Spending Review, more than 700 leading children’s organisations came together with ‘one voice’ and called on the Government to do things differently with investment in a public health approach. A national campaign to ‘turn off the taps, rather than mop the floor’ highlighted the importance of tackling the root causes of poor child health outcomes with prevention and early intervention which have been shown to make the biggest difference and make sound economic sense. This included a united call for 3,000 additional health visitors in the next three years.

Yesterday’s budget contained some ‘good news’ for babies:

The Treasury has listened, and we thank them for this. The funding announced yesterday is a welcome step in the right direction and will undoubtedly make a difference to many families. This autumn budget represents a significant turning point with a statement from the Chancellor that he had acknowledged the important work led by Dame Andrea Leadsom MP in her ‘Early Years Healthy Development Review’,

“For too long, far too long, the location of your birth has determined too much of your future… the awesome power of opportunity shouldn’t be available only to a wealthy few… but be the birth right of every child in an independent and prosperous United Kingdom. The evidence is compelling that the first 1,001 days of a child’s life are the most important”.

We would like to personally thank Dame Andrea Leadsom MP for her tireless work, over many years, making the case for babies and their families in the House.

Yesterday’s budget included a £500 million investment package over the next three years to support families and transform ‘Start for Life’ and family help services in half of the council areas across England. This will fund a network of Family Hubs, Start for Life services, perinatal mental health support, breastfeeding services and parenting programmes. It will also expand the Supporting Families programme, providing up to 300,000 families with high quality, multidisciplinary support.

The iHV welcomes all of these initiatives – in particular, we have worked with Leadsom in her campaign for well-resourced Family Hubs and additional funding to improve perinatal mental health support – these all represent an important step in the right direction.

What about health visiting? Did the Government deliver their pledge to rebuild health visiting and the Healthy Child Programme’?

It’s difficult to see from yesterday’s Spending Review how the Government will deliver on their pledge to ‘rebuild health visiting’ or how Family Hubs can be successful without a highly skilled workforce. We need a skilled workforce to welcome and work with families who attend the Hubs, but most importantly, if we are really serious about reducing inequalities, to reach out to the multitude of families who will not attend. The evidence is clear that the families who need the most support are the least likely to easily engage with services – they need a skilled health visiting workforce to ‘reach out’ to them.

Yesterday was not ‘our day’ – there was no workforce plan to deliver the additional 3,000 health visitors needed over the next three years to address the national shortfall of 5,000 health visitors, or ensure that the health visiting workforce is strengthened to address current and future ‘health’ priorities. The Healthy Child Programme is a ‘health’ policy and much of the work requires a highly skilled ‘health’ workforce – it is therefore essential that we have a workforce plan which delivers a ‘health’ workforce – it is ‘safety critical’, not just a ‘nice to have’.

The only mention of health visiting was a pledge that, “Trials of innovative workforce models for health visitors will also be funded in a smaller number of council areas to test approaches to improve the support available to new parents” – the pre-budget announcement indicated that this would be £10 million.

Whether this is good news or not, will really depend on the detail of this proposal. As part of our Spending Review submission, we proposed the establishment of ‘ICS academies for child and family health’ within selected early adopter sites, to bring partners together to collectively plan, test and refine health and care services to meet the needs of babies, children, families and communities. Working in more integrated ways represents a significant shift in health policy, it will therefore be important to have systems in place to support and evaluate the implementation of ICSs and inform wider system learning. It is unclear whether this is what is being proposed.

Given that the Best Start in Life budget delivery metrics all relate to ‘education’, our longstanding concerns are that ‘health’ is not a priority in the Early Start vision and, as such, the important ‘health’ function of health visitors will continue to be overlooked. Others have expressed concerns that the “innovative workforce models” described are actually a dilution of the health visiting workforce to increase the proportion of lower-skilled staff.

Are we being ungrateful, £500 million is a lot of money? It’s all a matter of priorities:

We recognise that the Government faces a tight fiscal settlement, having already invested significant sums of money into almost every part of society. In terms of Government priorities:

£100 billion was committed in March 2021 as part of the ‘Build back better’ plan for infrastructure projects (including buildings, roads and bridges).
Yesterday’s budget set out that total departmental spending is set to grow in real terms at 3.8% a year on average over this Parliament – a cash increase of £150 billion a year by 2024-25.
The total investment to specifically support education recovery is £4.9 billion (from academic year 2020-21).
Pubs have been prioritised – the duty rate cuts announced yesterday amount to £3 billion over the next five years.
We are facing spiralling costs of not intervening early – the recent Royal Foundation report calculated that we spend more than £16 billion pounds on costly late interventions, or ‘getting it wrong’ every year.

You decide – have we got our priorities right with only £500 million for babies and young children, who represent our ‘human potential’? Against a backdrop of piecemeal child health policies and years of disinvestment, with £1 billion stripped from the public health grant, the sector is united that this does not go far enough.

But for now, there are still opportunities for health visitors to maximise – keep close to the iHV as there is work to be done and plans are already emerging for next steps.

We look to the future when one day we can shift from a budget titled ‘A stronger economy for the British people’ to one which prioritises people through ‘Stronger people for the British economy’.

£500 million is a welcome step in the right direction – all hopes rest on gaps being filled in a comprehensive Spending Review package

The iHV, as part of a coalition of 700 organisations, welcomed the Treasury’s announcement over the weekend to invest £500 million in a care package for children and families.

Funding will include:

more than £80 million for Family Hubs,
£100 million to support the mental health of new and expectant parents,
£120 million investment towards other comprehensive family support programmes,
£200 million to support the Government’s flagship Supporting Families Programme to help some of the 300,000 most vulnerable families in society through complex issues that could lead to family breakdown.

We called on the Government for major investment to support families who have faced the most challenging times during the pandemic. The Treasury has listened, and we applaud them for this. The funding will undoubtedly make a difference to many families.

But it doesn’t go far enough. We recognise that the Government faces a tight fiscal settlement, having already invested significant sums of money into almost every part of society. In terms of Government priorities, £100 billion has been committed to infrastructure projects (including buildings, roads and bridges). However, babies and young children, who represent our ‘human potential’ as a society, have not been prioritised – we have a national ‘baby blind spot’ which has resulted in zero pounds of COVID recovery funding. Against a backdrop of piecemeal child health policies and years of disinvestment, with £1 billion stripped from the public health grant, the sector is united that £0.5 billion does not go far enough.

Wednesday’s Spending Review represents a turning point for children and families. Instead of going back to how things were, this is our chance to look to the future. Where do we want to be in five years’ time? Now is the time to set the blueprint and build the infrastructure of support needed to tackle widening inequalities and improve child health and wellbeing. We have more evidence than any other generation that investing in the ‘First 1001 Critical Days’ of a child’s life is the smartest of all investments and saves money in the long run. We are currently wasting an awful lot of money as a society on costly late interventions – or getting in wrong! (estimated by the Royal Foundation to be at least £16 billion per year).

Last week, the children’s sector provided a blueprint for the government to Build Back Childhood. The challenge of building back childhood demands a joined-up approach to the needs of babies, children and young people from conception to age 25, which includes a call for 3,000 extra health visitors in the next three years.

The Government’s flagship policy to build ‘Family Hubs’ is very much welcomed – many of us worked in Sure Start centres and saw the difference that they made to children’s outcomes – the evidence speaks for itself with benefits sustaining throughout childhood. However, Family Hubs are only buildings. Their success will depend on:

Getting families through the door – this is dependent on having a highly skilled workforce to build relationships with families and provide evidence-based support to the families who come to the Family Hubs (parents need to see a value in attending)
Having an infrastructure of support to ‘reach out’ to the families who will not come to the Family Hubs. The evidence is clear that the families who need the most support are often the least likely to ask for help. Ensuring families are able to access support early has been shown to make the biggest difference to outcomes. As above, engaging these families, who often have multiple co-existing needs, requires a workforce with the skills to build relationships and work with these families to improve outcomes across the breadth of physical and mental health problems, as well as the social needs, affecting families.

“Having to reach out when it’s the hardest things to do makes you feel sick, shaky and you talk yourself out of that call at least 20 times before you make it – some never will!” (A parent).

Health visitors, as Specialist Community Public Health Nurses, are a highly skilled workforce who ‘reach in’ to families who are struggling – they don’t wait for them to reach out. This is important as ensuring that families are able to access support early has been shown to make the biggest difference to outcomes.

However, we currently have a significant health visiting workforce shortage in England and, despite health visitors’ best efforts, families face a postcode lottery of support. Dame Andrea Leadsom has recognised this herself, calling it a ‘Wild West’ of health visiting.

In March, the Government committed to rebuild health visiting as part of its plans set out in the Early Years Review report (The best start for life: a vision for the 1,001 critical days). The iHV believes that Saturday’s announcement of £500 million for children and families marks a clear ‘step in the right direction’ and their intention to invest in the future which we welcome.

Is this good news for health visiting? Only time will tell – all eyes are now on Wednesday’s announcement to see if the Chancellor can continue his journey. 700 leading organisations and charities have called on the Government to invest in health visiting with 3,000 extra health visitors in the next 3 years. These organisations know how this sector works, they understand the struggles that families are facing, and the infrastructure of support needed to turn this around – they can’t all be wrong. Let’s hope the Chancellor is listening.

Alison Morton, Executive Director iHV

Following the weekend announcement by the Treasury, Alison Morton was interviewed on BBC News Channel and also BBC Radio 4 Today Programme on Saturday 23 October.

Alison Morton, Executive Director iHV, on BBC News Channel Sat 23 October 2021

Alison Morton, Executive Director iHV, on BBC News Channel Sat 23 October 2021

Listen to Alison Morton’s interview on BBC Radio 4 Today Programme – the news item starts at 09:28 into the programme and Alison starts at about 10:00… with the news item ending about 13:20.

The BBC News Channel item was broadcast at about 12:10 on Saturday, but we do not have the link available to share.

Ensuring babies, children and young people are at the heart of the Spending Review

#BuildBackChildhood #ChildrenAtTheHeart

As part of the Health Policy Influencing Group, the iHV is delighted to support the National Children’s Bureau (NCB) with the vision to #BuildBackChildhood which harnesses the support of over 700 organisations demanding that the Chancellor makes a strategic investment in babies, children, young people and families at the autumn Spending Review. It is the latest action in the high-profile Children at the Heart movement, coordinated by the National Children’s Bureau, calling for children to be remembered in spending plans.

Babies and children’s health, wellbeing and life chances are strongly shaped by the circumstances of their birth and the environments in which they live. The pandemic has exposed widening health inequalities, with disadvantaged children falling even further behind and vulnerable children bearing the impact of disruption to education and other vital services.

“As we recover, we face a choice: do we create a more level playing field in our society? Or do we simply return to what was there before? It’s this government’s mission to unite and level up across the whole of the UK, to build back better and to build back fairer.” – Sajid Javid, Secretary of State for Health

The NCB highlights how the Spending Review is a turning point:

“Instead of going back to how things were, this is our chance to look to the future – a future where every child feels safe, secure and supported. This is our chance to Build Back Childhood to ensure that babies, children and young people are not forgotten.”

Public services are caught in a cycle of increasing demand and late intervention. We risk every penny of the new NHS and social care levy being swallowed up by increased demand unless this is resolved. The Government must explicitly re-balance spending towards prevention and early intervention in childhood in order to reduce costs and burden on the NHS.

The #BuildBackChildhood campaign includes the following policy recommendations:

£500 million ringfenced uplifts in the Public Health Grant over the next three years to train and recruit 3000 new health visitors. This will enable local authorities to create strong and innovative health visiting services.
Reverse the £20 a week cut to Universal Credit and increase legacy benefits by £20 a week – reducing child poverty by 350,000.
Scrap the benefit cap and two-child limit – this would only cost £1.9 billion and would pull nearly 300,000 children out of poverty.
£103 million per year to support 500,000 young people through community mental health hubs.
An expansion of the Family Hubs network to provide an access point in local communities to provide help for families who need it.
Doubling the Supporting Families Programme to £330 million to provide early help to families facing multiple disadvantages.
The rapid expansion of Mental Health Support Teams so that all pupils are schools are covered by 2023.
Local areas to tackle the backlog of assessments and address the impact of missed therapies.
The launch of an independent review into childcare and early education funding and affordability, including whether current spending is sufficient to deliver the free entitlements.

Find out more about the #BuildBackChildhood campaign here

“We are delighted to support this growing groundswell of organisations coming together with a united voice calling on the Government to #BuildBackChildhood . The evidence is clear, if we are serious about wanting to ‘level-up’ society and support public services which are flooded with increasing need, it is essential that we start in the earliest years of life and invest in our children, who are our future – there is no smarter investment” – Alison Morton, Executive Director iHV

NCB #BuildBackChildhood campaign supporters

Matthew Dodd, Head of Policy, Media and Public Affairs at the National Children’s Bureau, looks at how the treasury can address the skew in public spending - read more

“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

#TurnOffTheTaps campaign to Invest in Health Visiting

Today, as announced by Sally Hogg during her presentation at the iHV Evidence-based Practice Conference 2021 (#iHVEBP2021), iHV together with the First 1001 Days Movement is launching our #TurnOffTheTaps campaign calling for investment in Health Visiting services.

The focus of Government policy and spending is too often on dealing with a backlog of unmet needs, rather than reducing this need through improving the health, happiness and resilience of our citizens. We are investing billions in overstretched health and social care services, which are flooded with growing needs. It’s time for a different approach. It’s time to turn off the taps. It’s time to invest in health promotion and prevention in the earliest years of life.

The Chancellor has said that the Spending Review, announced this autumn will ensure “strong and innovative public services” and level up across the UK to “increase and spread opportunity.”

Investing in services that give children the best start in life reduces demands on GPs, hospitals and social care. It means children start school ready to learn and to achieve, so our schools can be more effective. Investing at the start of life gives our children the best chance of being safe, happy and healthy throughout their lifetime and into old age.

Science shows us that action in early life can prevent problems that can be costly to individuals and society. Economics shows that investment at the start of life generates the greatest returns.

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. This will enable local authorities to create strong and innovative Health Visiting services able to play their role in increasing opportunity for our citizens and reducing long-term burdens on the NHS.

Alison Morton, Executive Director iHV, commented:

“I am delighted that so many organisations and individuals have joined alongside the iHV, as part of the First 1001 Days Movement, calling for investment to deliver the Government’s Start for Life Vision and increase the number of health visitors.

“We hear daily how the NHS is flooded with growing need – now is the time to #TurnOffTheTaps.

“The evidence is clear that investing in the earliest years of a child’s life is the smartest of all investments – we don’t need any more evidence for this. It is time to stop admiring the problem and invest in the infrastructure of support that will actually make the difference.

“We urge all health visitors to join this campaign and speak out about the vital work that they are doing. We would also like to thank all of our partners for their unwavering support.”

What is the #TurnOffThe taps campaign?

It is clear that reducing short term burdens on the NHS is a priority for the Government. Therefore our campaign focuses on how investment in health visiting can reduce demand for NHS services.

Our Health Visiting Ask

We are calling for investment to deliver the Government’s Start for Life Vision, including improvements in parent and infant mental health services, breastfeeding, maternity and health visiting services.
This includes a £500 million ringfenced uplift in the Public Health Grant over the next three years which would enable growth in health visitor numbers and strengthening the leadership in health visiting services.
We are calling on Government to invest enough to reach a total of 5000 new health visitors over the next 5 years, with 3000 in this spending review period.
In addition to the extra health visitors, the £500 million includes funding to increase the leadership capacity in health visiting service. This additional capacity would enable service leaders to drive excellence in practice through workforce development, research, service innovation and strong integration with other services.

How can you get involved?

The most important thing you can do is to tell your story. Get on social media and/or contact your MP and share YOUR stories about how health visitors give children the best start in life and can help to reduce demands on the NHS.

To support this campaign, you can:

Share the calls to action on social media – please see hashtag #TurnOffTheTaps
- Please share content about the campaign from Wednesday 22 Sept onwards and increase activity around the 30 Sept, but please share your own stories too!
Send a letter to your MP
- Tailor the letter template and send it to your local MP. Tailor the letter to your local context. Perhaps explain what you do and invite the MP to visit your service; give a case study to show the work of local health visitors and/or talk about local cuts to services.
- Please include the campaign briefing with the letter when you send it.
- To find your local MP’s details go to https://members.parliament.uk/FindYourMP

What the First 1001 Days Movement is doing

In addition to the materials to support you as above, the First 1001 Days Movement will:

Submit a formal representation to Treasury.
Write to Maggie Throup the new Public Health Minister
Try to secure press coverage for the campaign

What iHV is doing

Further to above, the iHV will also be submitting our response to the Spending Review on the 30 September with a consistent ‘ask’ of the Government to invest £500m in health visiting from across the sector.

iHV welcomes NCB Report “Whatever it takes”

iHV very much welcomes the NCB’s clear analysis and recommendations published in its report “Whatever it takes”: Government spending on children and young people – the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and the 2020 Spending Review.

Dr Cheryll Adams CBE, Executive Director iHV, commented:

“This NCB Report is a superb and clear analysis of the crises for children at the moment and, amongst other recommendations, it recommends investing in the early years and health visiting.”

“We hope that many interested parliamentarians and others will take the opportunity to attend the APPG for Children taking place this afternoon to discuss its contents.”

Parliamentarians will be debating the implications of this analysis at 4:30-6pm on Monday 14 December at a meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Children. Children, young people and parents who participated in the #GiveUsAChancellor campaign will also be presenting on the areas where they want to see future government spending.

Read NCB Report - “Whatever it takes”: Government spending on children and young people - the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and the 2020 Spending Review

iHV submits powerful evidence to Government’s Comprehensive Spending Review

The Institute of Health Visiting has provided the Treasury with the latest evidence and cost benefits for new investment into health visiting as part of its Comprehensive Spending Review.

As the Institute submits its evidence to the Spending Review, Dr Cheryll Adams CBE, Executive Director iHV, said:

“We hope that this clear rationale and evidence for investing into the early years through the health visiting service will be taken seriously when the Treasury reviews all the submissions. There has never been a greater need to act to support young families as they face the secondary impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. A loss of 30% of the health visiting workforce, since cuts to public health budgets, is impacting on our most vulnerable citizens and their families, but this will also have a significant long-term legacy for the country as a whole.”

Read iHV's Evidence for the 2020 Comprehensive Spending Review

iHV welcomes the Health Foundation and The King’s Fund call to restore the public health grant

The Institute of Health Visiting fully supports today’s call by The King’s Fund and the Health Foundation for a reversal to cuts made to public health funding.

We endorse their call for an urgent review of the public health allocation as part of the expected roll-over grant in place of the anticipated full Spending Review. In particular, we call on the Treasury to carefully consider the wealth of evidence and benefits to society and the public purse from investment in supporting families during the crucial first 1000 Days of Life. Our children are this country’s greatest asset for the future, yet disadvantage and inequalities start early and can last a lifetime if not addressed. Recent year-on-year cuts to the public health grant are having an irreversible impact on our most disadvantaged children. These children cannot wait any longer for decent policies to ensure every child has the best start in life, with sufficient national levers and budgets to support full implementation. We are calling for action now, and our case for a strengthened health visiting service is set out in our recent letter to The Rt Hon Elizabeth Truss MP, Chief Secretary to the Treasury.

We fear that the damage done in the last 3 years will take many more to correct without urgent action now. It is fundamentally and morally very wrong that it’s been necessary to cut child health clinics and easy access to health visiting services in many areas of the country and, in so doing, the support they once provided for thousands of parents. Prevention and early intervention is often described as “turning off the tap rather than mopping the floor”. This is essential if we are to tackle key priorities like childhood obesity; infant, child and perinatal mental health problems; falling immunisation rates; and soaring unnecessary A&E attendances in the under-fives that could so easily be addressed with better early support and opportunities for parents to talk about their worries with a trusted professional. There are now massive variations in the type of service that health visitors can offer parents up and down the country, with minimal services most often the norm.

We too call on the Treasury now to fulfill their responsibility to the public by once again investing in public health and early preventative interventions for families.

Download iHV letter to the Treasury - May 2019

Read the Joint press release from the Health Foundation and The King's Fund

iHV writes to Treasury for renewed focus on strengthening health visiting in Spending Review

The Institute has written to the Treasury with a call for a renewed focus on strengthening the health visiting service in England in the forthcoming Spending Review.

The letter sets out the case for an effective health visiting service as an important part of the solution to numerous cross-government department priorities for children. Yet, the Institute also raises concerns about the current variation in the way that local areas prioritise and support families in the first 1000 days with considerable unwarranted variation in the level of service that families receive dependent on where they live, rather than their level of need.

Download iHV letter to the Treasury - May 2019