Yvonne Coghill CBE reflects on how her recent appointment as CPHVA president feels like ‘coming home’.
One of the proudest moments of my life was qualifying as a health visitor, nearly 40 years ago now. Working alongside a group of passionate, like-minded women in Southall, Ealing, remains one of the most inspiring and fulfilling chapters of my career. Those years were full of purpose, joy and solidarity. Helping to nurture the next generation, to give every child the best possible start in life, felt like one of the most meaningful contributions anyone could make to the health service.
After 18 years as a HV, team leader and community practice teacher, my career took a different path. But while attending the Unite-CPHVA Annual Professional Conference, something stirred in me. Listening to the outstanding speakers reminded me exactly of why I became a HV in the first place. It felt as though, after many years working in other parts of the NHS, I had finally come home.
THE POWER OF WHAT YOU DO
Health visiting has always been one of the quiet cornerstones of our nation’s health. It’s hard to comprehend how such a vital service, once described as the jewel in the NHS crown, has been allowed to dwindle. The number of HVs left to serve a population of millions in England has reduced by more than 40% since 2015. How did we get here? Why were we allowed to get here?
Health visiting is far more than a job; it’s a lifeline. It is a public health service delivered by highly skilled nurses and midwives with specialist training, supporting families from pregnancy until children reach the age of five. HVs promote wellbeing, prevent illness and empower parents – offering guidance on everything from feeding and sleep to child development and immunisation. They meet families in their homes and communities, often becoming the first trusted link between parents and the wider health system.
Now, with a new government, and the launch in 2025 of an NHS Fit for the Future, we stand at a crossroads once again. Following Lord Darzi’s independent review in 2024, which concluded that the NHS is in a ‘critical condition’, health secretary Wes Streeting has set out three priorities for renewal:
- Moving care from hospitals to the community
- Transforming from analogue to digital
- Focusing on prevention, not cure.
At least two of these priorities sit firmly within the health visiting and school nursing domains. Prevention has always been the beating heart of both. It is no coincidence that childhood immunisation rates have fallen in parallel with the decline of the health visiting and school nursing workforce. Supporting mothers and families to stay well, eat better and thrive has always been our bread and butter.
IF WE TRULY WANT AN NHS FIT FOR THE NEXT GENERATION, IT MUST BEGIN WHERE HEALTH ITSELF BEGINS: IN THE EARLY YEARS
IMPACTS OF POOR INVESTMENT
We can see the consequences of neglecting this essential service – rising childhood obesity, tooth decay, continence issues, and widening health inequalities. These are not isolated problems; they are the visible cracks in a public health foundation that has been left to crumble.
At the recent conference, I was once again humbled by the dedication and resilience of HVs and school nurses (SNs) who continue to serve their communities against all odds. Their commitment is unwavering, but commitment alone cannot sustain a system.It is, to me, a simple truth: unless this invaluable profession is restored to its rightful place within the NHS, respected, properly funded, and given a voice at the table, this 10-year plan risks joining the long list of well-intentioned, but unrealised visions: the 2008 NHS Plan, the Five year forward view (2014), the Long-Term Plan (2019).
I feel deeply honoured to have been asked to serve as president of the CPHVA. One of my key aims is to raise the profile of community practitioners (CPs), including HVs and SNs and ensure policy-makers understand that, without them, every plan for a healthier, fairer society is built on sand.
Health visiting is not a relic of the past; it is the foundation of the future. If we truly want an NHS fit for the next generation, it must begin where health itself begins: in the early years, in the home, and in the capable, compassionate hands of CPs.
To learn more about Yvonne, look out for the January/February 2026 issue of Community Practitioner.
Image | Unite-CPHVA
