§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will set up an inquiry into the demands on health visiting.
§ Mr. Geoffrey FinsbergI am aware that there are shortages of health visitors in many places, and in "Care in Action" we made it clear that health authorities should continue to increase the number of health visitors they employ, though the precise rate of increase must depend on the circumstances of individual health authorities. The Harding report on the primary health care team and the Acheson report on primary health care in inner London both recommended that further research should be undertaken on the workload and staffing levels of health visitors, and we are currently considering what action to take in response to these reports.