Protest against 'damaging' children's health cuts

A protest against cuts to children's health services has been held outside local authority headquarters.

About 50 people gathered at Endeavour House office in Ipswich to campaign against Suffolk County Council's plan to make cuts to school nursing and support for teenage parents, despite the council U-turning on proposals to remove community staff nurses from health visits.

Cameron Matthews, regional organiser for the union Unison, said the proposals, which are due to be signed off by the council's cabinet on Tuesday, would be "damaging to children's futures."

A spokesperson for the Reform UK-run council said: "We respect the right of staff, unions and residents to express their views."

The Healthy Child Programme includes services for new parents and babies, such as health visitors and support for teenage mums and dads. It also incorporates the school nursing service.

Reform said the current model was not financially viable.

Kirstie Gladwell, 41, has worked as a family nurse in Suffolk for 10 years.

She said it was a "hugely rewarding" job, but she was concerned that if health visits to teenage parents were cut it would "have a huge impact, not just on the young parents, but also their children".

"A telephone call, a leaflet, that's not gonna do it," she said.

Gill Wiltshear, who has recently retired from her role as a health visitor, said she wanted to attend the protest to "support the whole service, but particularly the staff nurses that support the health visiting team".

She said staff nurses were the "backbone of the health visiting service" and that cuts could see other health services put under further pressure.

Jack Abbott, Labour MP for Ipswich, said despite Reform saying it had "saved" community staff nurses from the cuts, the administration "won't confirm whether they're gonna axe any of the roles at all".

The council would not confirm to the BBC how many jobs were at risk under its original plans, nor would it confirm the number of jobs at risk under the updated proposal.

"They've got to listen to experts, but also families across Suffolk and reverse their plans once and for all," Abbott said.

The council spokesperson said: "The Healthy Child recommendations have already changed as a result of consultation feedback, including the recommendation to retain community staff nurses within the future Health Visiting Service.

"We recognise that people will hold different views on the proposals.

"That is exactly why these processes have included public consultation, detailed impact assessments and extensive engagement with families, staff and partners."

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