Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the innovative workforce pilots announced in the Spending Review 2021 will test the value of continuity of care in health visiting services.

‘Best Start for Life: A Vision for the 1,001 Critical Days’ recognised the importance of continuity of care to improve outcomes. The Government has announced £10 million to trial innovative workforce pilots in a small number of local authorities. Funding will be available to selected authorities to establish teams with a range of skills, under the clinical leadership of health visitors. As part of the design and evaluation of the trials, continuity of care will be considered to ensure there is a key point of contact for each family within the multidisciplinary team.