Concessions on council's health visitor cuts plan

Derbyshire County Council has made a number of concessions on plans to cut its health visitor programme

A number of cutbacks to check-ups on mothers and babies in Derbyshire are set to be scrapped after public opposition.

The county council's cabinet is set to back a number of cuts to its health visitor service due to ongoing budget pressures and government grants not keeping pace with increased costs.

But cutting pre-school reviews for toddlers aged three and a half and a plan to reduce antenatal reviews to only include families who had been identified as high risk have been dropped.

Carol Hart, cabinet member for health, said: "We've listened to what people told us during the consultation."

Council documents show the service faces a budget shortfall of £900,000 due to public health grants not keeping up with costs to the authority.

They detail: "Without service re-design and/or further specific investment, the service would not be sustainable beyond 2025-26 and is currently running at a significant deficit."

On the pre-schools reviews - where the council does not have a legal requirement to carry them out - 72% of people who responded to the consultation were against the proposal, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Councillors are set to approve reviews being reduced to families who have been identified as high risk, but only for the next year.

The authority added if further "significant cost pressures" to the service were found over the next year, then the council would scrap the three-and-a-half-year check-up.

Councillor Carol Hart said the council had listened to the consultation

A plan to utilise a different skill mix of staff to carry out the one-year reviews appears to have been dropped after 70% of consultation respondents objected.

Cuts that will go ahead include carrying out antenatal reviews using a mixture of face-to-face home visits, phone calls and video calls – instead of exclusively in-person visits.

Using a different mix of staff to carry out the two-and-a-half-year review will also go ahead.

Hart added: "With demand for support rising and continuing uncertainty around increasing costs, it means we have to consider how we continue to support those who need us most while continuing to deliver the services we are required to by law.

"We recognise that every family is different and there will be times when some might need more support than others.

"We've listened to what people told us during the consultation so these proposals will continue to support all families but also ensure professionals continue to work together to identify where a child's needs change and provide targeted support where that's needed."