The making of health visitors: an historical perspective part I.

The question of separate registration for health visitors has recently been reviewed. The separate registration of health visitors with the UKCC is to be retained. In the light of this decision, it is interesting to review how preparation for health visiting work has evolved, and the relationships between health visiting and nurse education. This historical perspective illuminates the reasons why health visitors may want to maintain the separate identity of their occupation, in nursing. In two papers, of which this is the first, the author outlines the history of the education and training of health visitors from its origins in the Victorian era to the present day. The first paper covers the period up to the early days of the NHS. The second paper will conclude with the most recent changes in the education of health visitors.