Health Visiting Taskforce
The Health Visiting Taskforce supports the government’s plans to develop a new health visiting service across England.
Role of group
The purpose of the Health Visiting Taskforce is to champion the government’s commitment to improve services and health outcomes in the early years for children, families and their communities.
Membership
- Dame Elizabeth Fradd (Chair)
- Lord Victor Adebowale (UNITE/CPHVA)
- Dr Janice Allister (RCGP Child Health Clinical Champion)
- Ann Baxter (Directors of Children’s Services Health, Care and Additional Needs Policy Committee)
- Janet Davies (Royal College of Nursing)
- Jessica Corner (Council of Deans)
- Dr Kathleen Fallon (Ashton Leigh and Wigan Community Healthcare)
- Jo Webber (Ambulance Service Network and NHS Confederation)
- John Forde (NHS Coventry PCT)
- Dr Jill Maben (National Nursing Research Unit)
- Anita McCrum (Public health senior nurse)
- Pip O’Byrne (4Children)
- Liz Redfern (South West SHA)
- Dr Sheila Shribman (National Clinical Director for Children)
- Dr Jackie Smith (Nursing and Midwifery Council)
- Gail Adams (UNISON)
Minutes
Terms of reference
The purpose of the Health Visitor Taskforce is to champion, and provide strategic challenge to, the delivery of the government’s commitment to improve services and health outcomes in the early years for children, families and their communities, through expanding and strengthening health visiting services, with an extra 4200 health visitors in post by April 2015.
The taskforce will:
- champion the vision for the Health Visitor Programme
- provide strategic challenge and assessment of the programme against delivery objectives and risks and issues
- ensure that all contributions from delivery partners and stakeholders necessary for the successful leadership and delivery of the programme are identified and promoted
- challenge member organisations to support and lead on aspects of delivery through appropriate prioritisation and resourcing
- promote the learning from Early Implementer Sites
- support the delivery of the programme’s objectives and its longer term sustainability
- ensure that all of its work embeds the Equality Act 2010 and requires others to do so, promoting the needs of diverse communities and their staff
The taskforce will also take into account the wider context in which health visiting sits, for example, across public health, the foundation years, education, social care, local government and criminal justice.
The taskforce’s objectives and membership will be reviewed as necessary. In the first instance, the taskforce will be operational for a period of two years from July 2011 to July 2013. Individuals on the taskforce will attend in a personal and professional capacity so delegation of attendance to colleagues will not be permitted.