Children ‘failed in the first 1,000 days’ say MPs

The Health and Social Care Committee says that not enough support is provided in the early years to give children the best start in life. It warns that cuts to children’s centres, health visiting and parent support services have left children vulnerable. It urged the government to pay for extra contact with health visitors beyond the age of two and-a-half. Adverse experiences in childhood have been shown to increase the chances of poor health and development later in life. The government has said it will set out plans for early years support in a forthcoming green paper on prevention.

Ivan Moody says…
Cuts in funding can lead to mistakes being made by already overworked health professionals. I strongly believe that by investing more in health centres, health visits and other child support services, it will reduce the claims made against the NHS and in the long run save money”.