There can be no doubt that the role of the health visitor has long been the subject of debate, but your report describing the 'enormous implications' of the Supporting Families green paper demonstrates once again the ignorance surrounding the role of the health visitor (News, page 7, 12 November).

Perhaps the most 'groundbreaking' changes alleged are that there is national recognition of our existence, albeit misguided. GP fundholding did very little to support our cause, marginalising health visiting within primary care, and in many areas losing all sight of a public health perspective, particularly in those areas where general managers without a community nursing background paid more heed to short-term financial gain than to long-term public health gain.

The government could learn a lot from visiting trusts such as Stockport, where the health visiting service has for many years been part of a wider public health agenda, using the skills and resources of the health visitors in truly 'groundbreaking' radical practice.

We wait with bated breath to hear of those professional advisers who 'represented' our profession at a national level.

Judith Grigg

Rita Blundell

Liz Thomas

Ann Royle

Health visitors

Brinnington health centre

Stockport

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