Published: 28 September 2007
United welcome for promise of more Health Visitors
Health Secretary Alan Johnson’s pledge that more health visitors are on the cards has to be translated into a physical increase in health professional numbers working on the public health frontline.
Unite Head of Health, Kevin Coyne welcomed Mr Johnson’s announcement, but wanted the rhetoric turned into reality as soon as possible
Mr Johnson told the Labour Party conference: ‘And we need more specialist nurses and health visitors to tackle public health issues in deprived communities.’
Kevin Coyne said:
“This is a very welcome statement and we look forward to working with the Health Secretary and his ministerial team to achieve this increase in health visiting and specialist nurses working in areas of serious disadvantage”.
The announcement comes against a background which has seen ‘a health visitor-a day job’ being lost according to the latest NHS workforce statistics and a 40% reduction in health training places in England during the last academic year, 2006/7.
Kevin Coyne continued:
“Health visiting has taken a battering in recent years, so it is going to take a lot of work to even return to the status quo of two years ago.
But I am confident that, with goodwill, a new chapter for health visiting and the families they help on a daily basis could be opening”.
Unite/CPHVA launched its Who Cares? campaign in September 2006 to campaign against the cutbacks in health visiting, too often seen by NHS managers as ‘a soft target.’
Further information
CPHVA website
Answers on a postcard
Petition to: to make a commitment to establish a well-funded, well-trained universal health visitor service available to all parents of children under five, with specialist support for the most vulnerable families
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40% cut in Health Visitor Training Places
WHO CARES? - Campaign to Save Community Nursing Services
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