From BBC Breakfast early this morning (06.17 to 06.20am) and repeated with the above shocking figures throughout the show:
The number of health visitors in England has fallen by almost half over the last decade – meaning some of those who remain have caseloads of more than a thousand families each. Now the Institute of Health Visiting is calling for caseloads to be limited to 250 families per visitor.
Then:
Health visitors in England would like to see a safe staffing limit like in Scotland, where they have caseloads of no more than 250 families.
Seven minutes later, we hear the ‘news’ from Reporting Scotland. Did they echo the home visitor story like they do when, for example, BBC Breakfast do drug deaths or waits over two years fir non-urgent ops?
Just teasing you there. No, but they did have a murder and some strikes by Unite staff at universities, just in time for the election. Unite? Are they affiliated with Labour and meet Anas and Jackie regularly, I wonder?
In March 2026, the UK Government confirmed the key importance of health visiting as part of its strategy for preventative health care. Labour has been in government for nearly two years now so the above figures must a serious blow for them.
What is the situation in Scotland?
From State of Health Visiting, UK Survey Report – From disparity to opportunity: The case for rebuilding health visiting” (11th annual edition, based on 2024 data and published January 2025.1
What’s in there we wonder?
What percentage of of health visitors are able to provide continuity of carer to families ‘all or most of the time?’ This:
There’s more:
“I think we are very lucky in Scotland and in my area to be able to provide the full Scottish universal pathway and provide an additional pathway for all families who need this.” (HV Scotland)
In England, families are only offered five mandated universal health visiting contacts which is considerably less than Scotland where families are offered eleven home visits.
Finally, the obvious comparison – if England has 5 575 home visitors, the Scottish figure might be expected to be around 560? It’s 2 100, FOUR times the number per head in England.2
Sources:
- https://ihv.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/State_of_Health_Visiting_Report_2024_FINAL_VERSION_22.01.25_compressed.pdf
- https://www.rcn.org.uk/-/media/Royal-College-Of-Nursing/Documents/Countries-and-regions/Scotland/2025/The-Nursing-Workforce-in-Scotland-2025.pdf
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And Jackie Baillie, Scottish labour’s health spokesperson stated “the NHS was badly damaged by Conservative austerity policies but we must give credit to the Scottish National Party here. Successive SNP health ministers including Nicola Sturgeon ensured the Scottish NHS was protected from the cuts made in England and it’s important that we acknowledge this”
Also just teasing!
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“Also just teasing!”
Ha Ha
Indeed , that scenario beggars belief to ever be one that would ever be considered as being factual , indeed it is a Hell freeze over moment Ha Ha
Baillie only knows #BAD when it comes to talking about the SNP.
Liz S
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“Reporting Scotland.” news – “they did have a murder and some strikes by Unite staff at universities, just in time for the election”
In August 2024 Labour List reported that some Labour MP’s “received donations and support from trade unions in the 12 months before the (2024) general election” and that “Unite offered the most support out of Labour’s affiliated unions, with a total of £553,900 given to a total of 86 MPs”.
As to BBC Reporting Scotland , well they are always committed to following a strict agenda when it comes to Scotland and the SNP , which is that any good or positive news connected to either Scotland or the SNP , is then , as news, always classified as being news that is not worth reporting by them as a ‘news’ programme.
I read this online by a great wee independence supporting a/c on ‘X’ which is called Johnny Dundee :
“SNP Scottish Govt’s had to deal with the financial crash of 2008/09. Tory UK Govts policy of years of austerity. 2016 EU referendum then Scotland dragged out of the EU against Scots will in 2020. A global Covid health crisis. So, GTF with the “But you’ve had 19 years” patter”
The only part of that most eloquent and correct summation that I would add as an additional fact is that it was not just a “Tory UK Govts policy of years of austerity”, but it started as a Tory/Lib Dem coalition that began what was years of austerity , from May 2010 to May 2015, and then beyond that it has continued with various Tory UK governments up to 2024. (now we see Labour have taken the austerity baton, with them , as the new UK government, continuing their version of austerity from 2024 ).
BTW The Lib Dems hate that fact being highlighted in respect to their joint culpability in what resulted from both their and the Tories imposed austerity years (which was a significant number of excess deaths).
However the branch office manager is currently flouncing around declaring his faux concern and his fabricated objections to the policies of the SNP and also to the SNP’s time as the Scottish government.
As if they, the Lib Dems, have a clean sheet when it comes to their party once being in a coalition UK government with the Tory party. (as well some other political disgraces that have been connected to them).
Honestly the stench of hypocrisy from various media and political sources is nauseating.
Liz S
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