State of Health Visiting

In this report, the Institute of Health Visiting (iHV) publishes its findings from it's most recent survey of frontline health visitors working with families across the United Kingdom.

In the survey, health visitors report epidemic levels of poverty - with more parents struggling under the weight of the cost-of-living crisis - and more parents living with mental health problems, domestic abuse and adversity that pose risks to the health and wellbeing of babies and young children.

The report finds that health visitors are witnessing the impacts of stress associated with poverty on children’s safety, health and development, but that there are insufficient health visitors to meet the scale of this rising need following a loss of almost 40% of health visitors in England since 2015. Despite health visitors’ best efforts, the report finds, many families are not receiving the support that they need; a situation intensified by a lack of capacity in other health and social care services who are also experiencing extreme pressures.

Report by Alison Morton, Georgina Mayes, Jay Desai and Julie Cooper.

Published by the Institute of Health Visiting.