A survey from the Institute of Health Visiting (iHV) has revealed that babies are being born into increased levels of poverty, mental health problems, domestic abuse and adversity in the UK.
The concerns raised by the survey highlight fears for the health and wellbeing of babies and young children living through these challenges, resulting in a ‘blind spot’ in government policy.
The findings follow significant cuts in the sector which has lost almost 40 per cent of health visitors since 2015. The Institute of Health Visiting (iHV) warn that, as a result of the cuts, families are not receiving the support they need.
The survey found that over one in ten health visitors reported an increase in poverty affecting families over the past few months. This follows the nationwide squeeze felt as a result of the cost-of-living crisis.
Food bank dependency followed this trend, as 91 per cent of health visitors reported an increase in families needing to use food banks to feed their families.
The annual survey collected 1,323 responses from health visitors from across the UK, between September and November 2022.
Key findings include:
- 84 per cent of health care visitors reported an increase in children with speech, language and communication delay.
- 83 per cent reported an increase in perinatal mental illness
- Three-quarters of respondents reported an increase in domestic abuse
- Just 7 per cent felt confident that all families would be able to access the support they needed when a problem was identified.
The NHS backlog since the pandemic is widely felt, but iHV warns that the crucial role of health visitors is being overlooked, causing a ‘baby blind spot’ in national policy.
The fear is that not enough is being done by the Government to reverse this, which will result in ‘serious challenges’ for both the mental and physical wellbeing of babies and families.
Alison Morton, executive director of the iHV, said, 'Because the first years of life are so important for lifelong health, wellbeing and success, ignoring this tsunami of unmet need being experienced by our youngest citizens risks undermining the life chances of so many children.'
She also recognised the severity of the situation but claims that ‘it is not too late to change the direction and pursue reforms’.
'There is now unequivocal evidence that the current rate of health visitor workforce attrition, and insufficient training places to plug the forecasted gaps, is not sustainable and will jeopardise the delivery of all UK Governments’ child health programmes,' she said.
In its Start for Life Vision for the first 1001 days, the Government in England, catogorises health visiting as one of six priority services. However, ‘This commitment is at risk without investment and a plan to rebuild the health visitor workforce,' Morton said.
The iHV has published their main policy recommendations to cover this ‘blind spot’, including:
- Prioritise the first 1001 days of life
- Move towards prevention and early intervention
- Ensure equity of access to support
- Strengthen the health visiting service
The report states that, in order to achieve these changes, a greater focus must be placed on securing sufficient funding, producing a well-resourced workforce and ensuring that quality standards are met.
What health visitors said about child health and development
‘I am seeing children at 17 months old not walking due to gross motor delay as a consequence of lack of space and inadequate housing; speech and social development impacted by lack of play and stimulation secondary to the harmful impact of poverty, deprivation and poor housing.’
‘Massive increase in child development concerns – mainly communication and social skills, as we have come out of the pandemic, but also parents concerned about autism. Often conditions are not being picked up early as families are not accessing baby clinics… and we are not seeing children between 6 weeks and one year.'
- Read the full report here
