Children in England among unhealthiest in Europe, MPs warn in call for more help

The Health and Social Care Committee called on the Government to take steps to improve child health across Britain after it warned about rising levels of obesity and “uneven” vaccination coverage in a new report.

The report, which focused on the first 1,000 days of children's lives, urged the Government to "go further" on its plans to open Family Hubs where parents can access advice and support.

Committee members said Labour must make sure that the planned centres are accessible to 'every community', and highlighted a shortfall of 5,000 posts in the health visiting workforce.

Ministers have been urged to rebuild the sector, which has seen a stark 43 per cent drop in numbers since 2015.

The remaining staff are managing "dangerously high" caseloads, according to the report, which suggests an immediate plan to hire 1,000 more workers to help alleviate pressures.

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The remaining staff are managing "dangerously high" caseloads, according to the report, which suggests an immediate plan to hire 1,000 more workers to help alleviate pressures.

The group of MPs suggested that those with nursing or midwifery qualifications should be targeted for appointments to fill the vacancies.

The report also calls for the target of giving 95 per cent of children their routine childhood immunisations to be reinstated in the NHS.

MPs challenged the Government to commit to achieve the 95 per cent goal by July 2029, the end of the current Parliament.

Committee member Paulette Hamilton said: “Children growing up in our country today stand too great a chance of becoming overweight, developing asthma or tooth decay, or catching life-threatening yet preventable diseases due to missed vaccines.

“The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health says the UK has some of the worst health outcomes for young children in Europe. This should be a source of shame.

“Over the last two decades, we have seen a hollowing out of health services for infants – the Family Hubs programme still barely touches the sides of what was once provided by Sure Start centres before they were forced to close.

“And our provision of health visitor appointments is woefully inadequate in some parts of the country.”

The Birmingham Erdington Labour MP added: “This committee now calls on the Government to re-establish health visiting as a cornerstone of the state’s support for families in communities across England, offering help with perinatal mental health, advice on a range of issues on health and development and helping to get more children vaccinated against illnesses which should be all but non-existent in 21st century Britain.”

Alison Morton, chief executive of the Institute of Health Visiting, said that cuts to health visitors “have left too many families without the support they need”.

She went on: “We look forward to the Government’s response and offer our ongoing support to turn its ambition to ‘give every child the best start in life’ into reality.”

Commenting on the report, Dr Helen Stewart, officer for health improvement at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said: “Waiting times for children’s health services are eye-wateringly high, childhood vaccination rates are plummeting, parents are often struggling to find the right support and advice, and children are being failed.

“It is imperative that we reverse the decline in children’s health to safeguard our future.”

Tamora Langley, head of policy at the Parent-Infant Foundation, added: “The Government’s 10-year health plan promised to roll out healthy babies services to every local authority, but they haven’t said when. Babies can’t wait.

“It’s key to get help fast to parents who are struggling to bond with their baby.

“This fundamental support should be available everywhere, to every family, so it’s great to see this respected Committee demand further action.”

A Government spokesperson said: “This Government is giving every child the best possible start in life, regardless of their background.

“We’ve put them at the heart of our 10-Year Health Plan with a range of preventative initiatives from obesity to dentistry, so we can help raise the healthiest generation of children.

“This month, we announced a new £2 million pilot that will see health visitors reach families facing barriers to vaccines, to ensure even more children are protected.

“Parents are now also able to protect their children from chicken pox through the MMRV vaccine, which is for free for the first time ever.

“We’re also backing our Best Start Family Hubs with an extra £500 million, giving families access to joined-up health and children’s services right in their own community.”