New technology could be used to ensure safety of newborns in Warwickshire

New technology could be used to ensure that more babies are given a health check by health visitors within two months of being born.

The suggestion was made at this week’s Warwickshire County Council children and young people’s overview and scrutiny meeting after it was revealed that staff shortages meant targets were not being met.

Nationally, it is the aim that 90 per cent of babies are given a 6-8 week check but the latest published figures show that Warwickshire is lagging at 50.8 per cent.

Councillors were told that staff shortages was a national issue and that the county council was doing all it could to bolster the numbers.

Nigel Minns, the strategic director for people, said: “Recruitment and retention of health visitors is really challenging. In 2016 there were 10,000 health visitors nationally and there are currently around 6,000, so it is a challenge. The service is doing the things you would want them to do - recruiting students and reviewing the current skills mix to look at different ways to work to address the needs but it remains a challenging environment.”

He added that the timescale for carrying out the health checks had been extended so that they would now be done between six and 13 weeks but Cllr Jerry Roodhouse (Lib Dem, Eastlands) had another suggestion.

He said: “There is something around new technology and different ways of working. At that time I think it is quite crucial because it is the picking up and referring to specialists if needed. It is a golden opportunity to actually engage with the family and children and then actually grow particular elements. Are we exploring that hard enough because there is new technologies and digital stuff out there?”

And Cllr Marian Humphreys (Con, Polesworth) raised a question in relation to previous discussions around health visitors.

She said: “We spoke about this six or nine months ago when they were going to look at nursery nurses and it just seems to be going around in a circle. Are the health visitors willing to let this happen?”

John Coleman, the council’s assistant director for children and families, said that a multi-agency team drawn from different departments was trying to put a plan together to resolve the issue.