Family health visitor case loads are at four times recommended level due to cuts

25 November 2023 , 18:28

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MP Sarah Olney said many health visitors are left overstretched (Image: Handout)

Family health visitors’ caseloads are at four times the recommended level in some parts of England due to cuts, figures reveal.

It means each worker has to cover more than 1,200 children instead of the Institute of Health Visiting’s target of 250. The Lib Dems found the alarming statistics, which show in the last four years health visitor numbers in England have been cut by 21% – from 6,931 to 5,473.

MP Sarah Olney said: “Health visitors play a crucial role in helping support babies and parents, yet many are being left overstretched.” The average in England is 182 health visitors per 100,000 kids under five – equal to a caseload of 550.

But a postcode lottery means this drops to 82 per 100,000 in the South West – resulting in caseloads of more than 1,200. Ms Olney added: “The Health Secretary must take urgent action to give babies the best start in life.”

The Department of Health and Social Care said: “It is local authority commissioners’ responsibility to determine health visitor numbers based upon local needs.”

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