Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy that health visitors should make routine visits to families with babies that are living in temporary accommodation.

The Government is committed to raising the healthiest generation of children. The child health workforce, which includes health visiting teams, is central to how we support all families to give their child the best start in life.

Health visiting teams provide vital advice and support for all eligible parents, carers, and children, through five mandated health and development reviews, up to the age of two to two and a half years old, and additional support for those who need it. Health visiting is a universal service offered to all families, regardless of their type of accommodation.

We will refresh the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan next summer to ensure that the National Health Service has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills, to deliver the care that babies, and their carers and families need, when they need it.

Health visitors are specialist community public health nurses. Health visitors carry out the Government’s mandated five health and development reviews through the healthy child programme, specifically: during pregnancy; when the baby is 10 to 14 days old; at six to eight weeks old; at one years old; and between two to two and a half years old. These are carried out by health visiting teams. Health visitors can support parents to develop confidence and self-efficacy in understanding and accessing health and care information, advice, and services.

Health visitors support families on various issues including breast feeding, infant feeding, nutrition, and healthy eating. Health visitors have a crucial role in sign posting to additional support and advice, including the Healthy Start scheme.