Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the numbers of (a) health visitors and (b) school nurses.

We are committed to creating the healthiest generation of children ever. To achieve this, we must ensure that families have the support they need to give their babies and children the best start and the building blocks for a healthy life.

The child health workforce, including health visitors and school nurses, is central to how we support families to give their child the best start in life. Their contact with parents, carers and children of all ages provides vital advice and support and helps ensure that health, development, and safeguarding needs are identified early.

We are committed to training the staff we need to ensure patients, their carers and their families are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it. We will want to assure ourselves, and the National Health Service, that the current plan will deliver the reform needed. We will need to do this in light of the 10 Year Plan.