RSPH has echoed calls made by the Institute of Health Visiting (iHV) for the government to reinvest in public health, as the results of its recent State of Health Visiting survey expose the full impact of cuts on the service and on children’s health.

The survey shows that 85% of health visitors have experienced an increase in their workload over the past two years, largely as a result of cuts in the numbers of health visitors. As a consequence, only 70% of families are receiving the health visitor reviews they are entitled to during the first years of a child’s life, and only 30% are receiving the antenatal visit.

Shirley Cramer CBE, Chief Executive, RSPH, said: "The early years of a child’s life are an absolutely critical period for delivering effective public health interventions, which makes the service delivered by health visitors one of enormous importance. Access to this service is a universal right, and if overstretched health visitors are unable to deliver the service to every family then it can only exacerbate already widening health inequalities.

"Every child deserves the best start and best chances for a long and healthy life – the Government must invest in healthy starts to ensure healthy futures, and prevent the health service from having to pick up a heftier financial tab further down the line."