Health visitors and school nurses provide a range of universal and targeted specialist public health services to babies, children, and families and lead the Healthy Child Programme (HCP) in England. In August/September 2025, the RCN conducted a survey for members working in health visiting and school nursing in the UK covering a range of topics including work/caseload, service delivery and capacity, the needs of service users and retention challenges. This report provides analysis of the responses from members in England and reveals widespread understaffing and high vacancy rates, which are compromising service quality and hindering prevention work. It also details different modelled scenarios to expand the health visiting and school nursing workforce in England highlighting the need for investment and action.

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