Councils are warning of growing shortages in the number of local health visitors, in response to a report by the Institute of Health Visiting.
The report found that health visitors had seen significant increases in the number of families struggling with the burden of the cost of living, with 91 per cent of those surveyed reporting an increase in poverty affecting families over the past 12 months.
The report also revealed that cuts to the numbers of health visitors are leaving children living with significant risk and vulnerability undetected.
Cllr David Fothergill, Chairman of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board, said: “As this survey clearly shows, health visitors play a vital role in our communities, but councils face growing shortages of them, with the number of health visitors decreasing by nearly 40 per cent since 2015 because of cuts in councils’ public health grant.
“At a time of increasing need and complexity, health visitors are needed now more than ever. That is why the Government should commit to an ambitious plan to increase the number of health visitors, so we can rebuild and regain these vital public health nursing services that have been lost.
“Long-term investments in these key services can benefit children’s lives both now and into the future, through improving their school-readiness and taking away burdens from our overstretched health service.”