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Health Visitors

Asked by Helen MaguireLiberal DemocratDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled Answered 25 March 2026UIN 121059

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many health visitors were employed by the NHS in England in each year since 2020.

Answered by Karin Smyth

The number of health visitors working in National Health Service trusts and other core organisations in England is published monthly by NHS England as part of their NHS Workforce Statistics Collection. The data can be found in the link below within the file: NHS HCHS Workforce Statistics, Trusts and core organisations - data tables, December 2025, at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-workforce-statistics/december-2025

Within this Excel file, the relevant information can be found in Tab 6, titled Nurses and Health Visitors, Midwives and Support to Doctors, Nurses and Midwives by Staff Group, Care Setting and Level – Full Time Equivalent (FTE) and Headcount.

The data includes staff employed by NHS trusts and other core NHS organisations and will therefore exclude staff directly employed by primary care, general practitioner surgeries, local authorities, and other providers such as community interest companies and private providers.

Local authorities have been responsible for commissioning health visiting services since 2015. These services may be commissioned from NHS trusts as well as other providers. The Department does not hold staffing information for non-NHS providers.

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