Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

NHS Health Visitors

Tuesday 9 June 2026 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Health visitors play a vital role in supporting babies, children and families.
  • The Government will look closely at all findings in Baroness Amos's review to translate recommendations into action.
  • The Government is working on a 10-year workforce plan to improve the training of all NHS staff, including health visitors.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Luke Charters Lab York Outer
NHS
Context

The number of health visitors has fallen significantly under the previous government.

Question

What steps are being taken to improve NHS health visitor provision given that the number of health visitors fell under the previous government?

Answer from Sharon Hodgson

Health visitors play a vital role in supporting babies, children and families. This Government have taken action on this issue. The upcoming professional strategy for nursing and midwifery will set out a bold direction of travel to strengthen health visiting across England.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific steps or timeline were not provided

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Q2 Luke Charters Lab York Outer
NHS
Context

Questioner shared personal experience of birth trauma and lack of support afterwards.

Question

Will the Minister ensure that health visitors recognise dads and other non-birthing partners, check in on their mental health, and help them access support?

Answer from Sharon Hodgson

I thank my hon. Friend for being so brave and willing to share his and his wife's birth trauma, and I commit that the Government will look closely at all the findings in Baroness Amos's review and work with the national maternity taskforce to translate the recommendations into action. We have updated our national health visiting guidance to include a high impact area on family mental health.

Answered

Not addressed: null

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Q3 Freddie Van Mierlo Lib Dem Henley and Thame
NHS
Context

Women report skipping appointments due to negative experiences with health visitors, especially around breastfeeding.

Question

Will the Minister commit to improving the training of health visitors so that women receive the best quality care?

Answer from Sharon Hodgson

Yes, we are working on the 10-year workforce plan and the training of all NHS workforce is a big part of it. In my new position as public health and prevention Minister, I am particularly interested in the work of health visitors supporting breastfeeding rates.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific details on improving health visitor training were not provided

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