A HEALTH visitor from Worcester has got involved with the Labour Party's Brighton conference - warning the shadow health minister about NHS privatisation.

Tracey Biggs, a Labour activist in Worcester and former council candidate, had private talks with Heidi Alexander to voice her concerns.

Mrs Biggs, who stood in Claines at this year's city council elections, has been working as a nurse, midwife or health visitor for 32 years.

During her talks with Mrs Alexander, who Jeremy Corbyn made shadow health minister two weeks ago, she said she was concerned about school nursing being done by private firms, warning about outsourcing 'by stealth'.

"There is a very real probability that health visiting will go the same way in the near future," she said.

"School nurses and health visitors have a safeguarding role for some of the most vulnerable children in the country.

"Is it right to entrust this vital role to private companies, on short term contracts, who will have a profit motive?

"Nursing is being sold off through the back door and I don't believe that the general public are aware of what is happening."

She also said local government funding reductions threaten to put children at greater risk, due to community centres facing cuts and youth services being downgraded.

"Sure Start children’s centres are facing an uncertain future with funding cuts leading to closures and downgrading of provision," she said.

The Government has ordered a review of Sure Start centre's this autumn in time for Chancellor George Osborne's spending review.

During this year's General Election the issue of outsourcing health services came up as repeated topics during the hustings.

Worcester MP Robin Walker has pointed out that around 95 per cent of NHS provision is still in-house, a figure that changed less than two per cent during the five years of the Coalition.

But the figure is expected to grow, including in areas like social care, where local authorities like Worcestershire County Council are examining future options for the functions it still retains.

Labour's Brighton get-together has been dominated by headlines about Mr Corbyn's first conference speech, in which he said his landslide leadership win gave a "mandate" for his views on disarmament of Britain's nuclear weapons.