In Havering, Essex, nursery nurses are running group health visits for one-year-olds, and newborns are not being seen by health visitors until they are almost four months old, according to Unite.
Cheryll Adams, lead professional officer at Unite/CPHVA, the union for community practitioners and health visitors, said, 'In terms of basic observations such as walking, it's okay. But there isn't enough time spent on each child and the parents don't have the privacy to raise sensitive subjects.'
Unite professional officer Dave Munday said that while group visits do provide a service, nursery nurses are being asked to do work for which they are untrained and unqualified.
'Health visitors are working under huge pressure, way over their contracted hours,' said Mr Munday. 'I get calls from members in tears because they can't do the job that's required.'
He added, 'The health minister and Hounslow MP Ann Keen said in a recent conference that she wanted health visitors to feel they had made a difference. Now they're just desperate to get through the day without something going wrong.'
Shadow universities secretary David Willetts, who has special responsibility for family policy, said at a recent Tory summit that if in power the Consersatives would use money from Sure Start for health visitor recruitment and training (News, 8 July).
CRISIS AREAS IN LONDON
Lambeth - Ranked worst primary care trust in England by the Family and Parenting Institute. Only 33 WTE health visitors each with a caseload of 894 under-fives
Leyton and Leytonstone and Waltham Forest - Recruitment drive failed as health visitors can choose to work in other locations
Hounslow - New birth visits are taking up to four months instead of the recommended ten to 14 days.
Barking and Dagenham - Failed to train the nine student health visitors it had promised
Haringey - Only 34 whole-time equivalent (WTE) health visitors where there should be 45-60
Richmond - Non-health visiting staff are conducting birth assessments
Havering and Barnet - Nursery nurses running group health visits for one year-olds
Enfield - Caseloads are getting bigger and 'demoralised' health visitors are leaving
(Source: Family and Parenting Institute)
