Invest more to overcome postcode lottery for children, say health visitors

Health visitors have called on the government to invest in services for children under five in order to reduce their chances of developing problems such as tooth decay and obesity.

A National Children’s Bureau (NCB) analysis has shown that the likelihood of adverse health and development outcomes in children varies hugely depending on where they live.

Under-fives in north west England are more likely than those in the south east to have tooth decay, be obese, be admitted to hospital with an injury, and have a poorer level of development.

The NCB found that a five year old in Leicester is five times more likely to have tooth decay that one in West Sussex, while a reception-age child in Barking and Dagenham in east London is two and a half times more likely to be obese than a child of the same age in Richmond, south west London.

‘It is shocking that two children growing up in neighbouring areas can expect such wildly different quality of health,’ said NCB chief executive Anna Feuchtwang. 'We have to ask whether England is becoming a nation of two halves.’

Institute of Health Visitors chief executive Cheryll Adams said: ‘Health services must continue to be commissioned to recognise risk and intervene early in the life cycle, in pregnancy and the very early years, as this can have the greatest impact on improving health and development.’

Read the report here.