Literacy news
The family way
2 Sep 2009
An evaluation of the first 10 pilot sites for the Family Nurse Partnership (FNP), published in June 2008 by the University of London, showed sufficient promise to expand the programme to 20 more sites. By January 2010, it will operate in 50 areas. Also, a study comparing outcomes for families involved in the FNP with those offered routine services is now beginning, The Guardian reports.
The FNP provides a programme of support for young, disadvantaged first-time parents with the nurses seeing a caseload of 25 families. The Community Practitioners' and Health Visitors' Association (CPHVA) has pointed out the discrepancy in caseloads between FNP nurses and most health visitors who are struggling with caseloads of up to 500.
There is a chronic shortage of health visitors, with some newborn babies not being seen until they are four months old. Shortages are particularly acute where health authorities are concentrating on "socially targeted" visits, such as the FNP programme.
Cheryll Adams, CPHVA Lead Professional Officer, said: It is a fantastic service for a vulnerable group of the population, whose outcomes can be very costly. But there is a risk that any benefit of the FNP will be wiped out by the additional costs to services that result from the very poor health visiting service that is now offered to the remaining families in many part of the country.
(The Guardian, 2 September 2009)
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