Health visiting needs legal status restored ‘to avoid more
baby Peter tragedies’
17 February 2009
A campaign has been launched to legally redefine the ‘health
visitor’ profession in a bid to avoid further ‘Baby Peter’
tragedies.
Unite, which embraces the Community Practitioners’ and Health
Visitors’ Association (CPHVA), wants health visiting ‘returned to
statute’ – recognised in law - as it was up to 2001.
Unite argues that without this legal protection less qualified
staff can take on ‘health visiting’ duties. Because of this lack of
regulation, the public is less protected as ‘health visiting’ has
no legal standing.
This has made it easier for primary care trusts to cut back on
health visitors and employ less qualified staff - and there has
been a 13.5% drop in health visitors in England in the last four
years, according to the NHS Information Centre for Health and
Social Care.
Unite’s Lead Professional Officer, Obi Amadi said: ‘Fewer health
visitors has put an enormous strain on child protection services
and this could lead to further ‘Baby Peter’ tragedies. Less
well-qualified staff could, in certain circumstances, be less able
to detect concerns at an early stage.’
‘You could have the bizarre situation of a TV presenter with no
nursing qualifications giving advice on bringing up babies and
describing herself as a health visitor and that is currently
legally acceptable. However, she could not describe herself as a
nurse as that is legally defined.’
Unite will be lobbying government, MPs, the other nursing unions
and the regulatory body, the Nursing and Midwifery Council,
following Children, School and Families Secretary, Ed Balls’
promise at last year’s Unite/CPHVA conference to look once more at
the issue of returning health visiting to statute.
Obi Amadi said: ‘This campaign is not about legal complexities,
but restoring the status of a 150-year old profession, so that the
public is protected and the important health visiting services to
communities and families are restored.’
Those wishing to support the campaign can do so by signing the
campaign statement on www.unite-cphva.org
-ends-
NOTES TO NEWS EDITORS:
For further information, please ring: Karen Reay, National
Officer, Health 07798 531 004; Obi Amadi, Lead Professional Officer
07780 955 936; Shaun Noble, Communications Officer (Health
Sector) 020 7420 8951 or 07768 693 940
Unite Health Sector web page: www.unitetheunion.org/health
Unite/CPHVA press releases can be seen on the CPHVA website:
www.unitetheunion.org/cphva
Unite is the third largest trade union in the NHS and represents
about 100,000 health sector workers.
This includes seven professional associations:
Community Practitioners’ and Health Visitors’ Association (CPHVA),
Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists (GHP), Medical Practitioners Union
(MPU), Society of Sexual Health Advisors (SSHA), Hospital
Physicists Association (HPA), College of Health Care Chaplains
(CHCC) and the Mental Health Nurses Association (MNHA).
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