DoH commits to increasing health visitor numbers

The Department of Health (DoH) has announced it remains on track to increase the number of health visitors it has on its books by an additional 4,200 individuals by 2015.

According to the DoH's statistics, the number of people training to become qualified health visitors is now three times higher than it was at this point last year, meaning up to 6,000 new health visitors should be ready to work by the 2015 deadline.

The department is keen to see a significant rise in the number of individuals operating in this area, as this will allow for a growth in personalised care in local communities, as well as improving public health outcomes.

Visitors will be able to provide critical health and development advice to parents across the UK, while also connecting families to the array of health and wider community resources that are open to them.

Plans for the recruitment of additional health visitors were first set out last August with the creation of the new health visitor taskforce, chaired by independent adviser Dame Elizabeth Fradd.