PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
(7 September 2026)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to ensure that health visiting services have sufficient capacity to provide the statutory universal health and development reviews for children aged 9-15 months within the recommended timeframe.

Asked by:
Mr Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat)

The child health workforce, including health visiting teams, are central to how we support families to give their children the best start in life. The Government has committed to strengthening health visiting in order to ensure high-quality support for all families.

In our 10-Year Health Plan, we committed to a Professional Strategy for Nursing and Midwifery. This will set a clear direction for the next 10 to 15 years, inclusive of health visitors, focused on a new professional approach to education, diverse career development, and setting a renewed focus on professional culture.

In 2024/25, the latest year for which annual data is publicly available, 79.7% of 12-month health and development reviews nationally were completed by the time children had turned one year old. 88.4% of 12-month health and development reviews were completed by the time children were 15 months old. These statistics represent the highest percentages for these metrics since recording began.

Answered by:
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