Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what change there has been in the number of health visitors employed since the start of the Health Visitor Programme.

The Government is committed to growing by April 2015, the health visitor workforce and transforming health visiting services to improve health outcomes and reduce inequalities.

The latest health visiting workforce data* (for February 2014) shows the total number of health visitors nationally is 10,267 full time equivalents.

This are 2,175 more health visitors compared to the May 2010 baseline of 8,092.

* published on 21 May 2014 by the Health and Social Care Information Centre. The next data publication for March 2014 will be on 24 June 2014.