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  5. We urge the government to ensure families receive the five health visiting checks they’re entitled to

We urge the government to ensure families receive the five health visiting checks they’re entitled to

19% of babies in 2021 didn’t receive their 12-month health visitor review by the time they were 15-months-old, according to our new analysis of latest Public Health England data1.

  • The number of babies missing this vital check is up from five years ago when 18% of 15-month-old babies had missed their 12-month review2, equating to a 10% decrease in the proportion of babies who had had their 12-month review by the time they were 15 months3.
  • This new analysis comes as we pen an open letter to Health Secretary Sajid Javid which has been signed by 25 organisations and several cross-party MPs, urging the government to rebuild the health visiting service and to improve access to mental health services for new parents.
  • A group of parents and their children will visit 10 Downing Street today to hand in our Fight for a Fair Start petition which has had nearly 22,000 signatures in England.

Fight for a Fair Start

We’ve long highlighted that without the right support at the right time, mental health problems during pregnancy and the first year can have serious immediate and long-term consequences, affecting the important nurturing relationship between parents and their babies.

The campaign petition and open letter urge the government to ensure all families at a minimum receive the five face-to-face health visits they’re entitled to, with the same health visitor where possible. These vital checks help to identify new parents experiencing, or at risk of, mental health problems so that support can be put in place.

  • Currently, the health visiting workforce has a shortage of 5,000 visitors meaning the service isn’t meeting the level of need among families in England, particularly in the wake of the pandemic4.
  • In 2021, 441,670 babies received the vital 12-month check by the time they were 15-months-old and 106,247 missed it5.

For most families across England, this review is the only check that they’re entitled to between their baby being six-to-eight-weeks-old and two-and-a-half-years old, which is an incredibly important time for parents’ mental health and child development.

With an increasing number of families missing this check and others, we’re concerned that new parents with mental health issues are being overlooked and left to struggle alone without help.

Natalie's story

Natalie, a mother from Nottinghamshire who has supported the campaign and is quoted in the open letter experienced postnatal depression which made her feel stressed, alone and frightened.

"I thought I was alone and I didn’t want anyone to know that I wasn’t really holding it together. The health visitors are so rushed, they haven’t got time to sit and chat about everything and they don’t know you, so they don’t know if the behaviour you’re exhibiting is normal for you, and it will probably be someone different next week. It’s difficult for the mother and for the health visitor because there just isn’t enough time or consistency."
Natalie

The Fight for a Fair Start Parliamentary Reception

MPs will also have the opportunity today to attend our Fight For a Fair Start Parliamentary Reception in Westminster, sponsored by Sarah Olney MP.

At the reception, MPs will hear from parents about their experiences of perinatal mental health problems, which can impact parents during pregnancy or the first year following the birth of a child, and the importance of the health visiting service.

Our CEO, Sir Peter Wanless, and Childline Ambassador for Childhood, Louise Pentland, will also attend to talk about the importance of consistent health visits in supporting families.

The petition hand-in is the culmination of our Fight For a Fair Start campaign in England. We’ll continue to work behind the scenes in collaboration with other charities and organisations to ensure that gaps in mental health support for new parents are addressed.

We’ve also contributed to a new report from the First 1001 Days Movement highlighting the many benefits of health visiting.

"Since launching our Fight for a Fair Start campaign in 2019 with the help of our fantastic supporters, positive steps have been made to help more parents get mental health support before and after birth. Despite this, more needs to be done to make sure that no family is missed and left struggling. As an expectant mum, I understand that becoming a parent can be daunting and it takes courage to open up about mental health. We’ll continue to do all we can to make sure that every mum, dad and baby can get the support they deserve."
Vicky Nevin, NSPCC Policy Manager

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References

  1. 1. In 2021, 19% of babies didn't receive their 12-month health visitor review by the time they were 15-months-old. To calculate the 2021 calendar year data we've taken the percentage of children who received a 12-month review by the time they turned 15 months from Q4 of the 2020 to 2021 data and Q1, Q2 and Q3 of 2021 to 2022 data. The average number of babies from this period that received a 12-month check by the time they turned 15 months was 80.63%.

  2. 2. The number of babies missing this vital check is up from five years ago when 18% of 15-month-old babies had missed their 12-month review. Please see The National Archives Statistical Release: health visitor service delivery metrics 2015 to 2016. To calculate the 2016 calendar year data we've taken the percentage of children who received a 12-month review by the time they turned 15 months from Q4 of 2015 to 2016 data and Q1, Q2 and Q3 of 2016 to 2017 data. The average number of babies from this period that received a 12-month check by the time they turned 15 months was 82.40%. Please see GOV.UK Statistical Release: health visitor service delivery metrics 2016 to 2017.

  3. 3. This equates to a 10% decrease in the number of babies who had had their 12-month review by the time they were 15 months. In 2021, 80.63% of babies had their 12-month review by the time they reached 15 months, compared to 82.40% of babies in 2016. This equates to a 10% decrease in the proportion of babies who missed their 12-month review by the time they were 15 months.

  4. 4. Currently, the health visiting workforce is at an all-time low with a shortage of 5,000 visitors. Please see Institute of Health Visiting State of Health Visiting in England Survey 2021.

  5. 5. In 2021, 441,670 babies received the vital 12-month check by the time they were 15 months old and 106,247 missed it. Please see GOV.UK Health visitor service delivery metrics 2020 to 2021 and quarterly data for 2021 to 2022.