School nurse numbers fell from 3,026 in January 2010 to 1,862 in June 2026, while health visitors fell from a peak of 10,309 in October 2015 to 5,666 in June 2026.
Niamh Buckingham, policy adviser at The King's Fund said: ‘At the start of her tenure, the secretary of state for health and social care said she wanted to focus on children's health, and the Government has rightly said it wants to shift the focus from sickness to prevention. School nurses and health visitors will play an important part in turning those ambitions into reality.
'But warm words alone are little remedy for years of workforce decline and squeezed budgets for the areas outside the NHS that deliver many of these services. If Government is serious about delivering on their promises, it must tilt the scales towards prevention and ensure these services are not squeezed out by the urgent demands that consume resource and attention elsewhere. That is a tricky balance to strike, but it will be crucial to prevent more children reaching crisis point because earlier support wasn't available.'
Both school nursing and health visiting services are funded by central Government through the Public Health Grant provided to local councils, but funding for children's services from this ‘preventative pot' has been cut in real terms by 16% between 2016/17 and 2025/26. The King's Fund also warns of a postcode lottery in access to services, with reports that some local authorities have decommissioned these services altogether.
DHSC response
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: ‘Following a decade of underinvestment, this Government is committed to strengthening health visiting and school nurse services so that every family has access to the support they need, and we are also rolling out mental health support teams across every education setting in England, so young people can get professional support in their own schools and colleges.
‘These investments are at the heart of our 10-Year Health Plan to shift care into the community, and ensure that everyone who needs healthcare support can get it where they need it, when they need it. That is also why the health secretary announced last week that health services for babies would be rolled out across every family hub in England.'
The DHSC recently launched a £2m pilot which will see health visitors working directly to support families facing barriers to vaccines, such as travel costs, language difficulties or vaccine hesitancy, to ensure more children are protected against preventable diseases.
In addition, the DHSC said a Professional Strategy for Nursing and Midwifery in England announced in the 10-Year Health Plan will set out a professional direction of travel, up to 2040, for all nurses, midwifes and nursing associates in England, which includes health visitors.
