An extra 500 specialist nurses and midwives would be deployed into Scotland’s communities under plans unveiled by Ruth Davidson.
The Scottish Conservative leader revealed the election manifesto pledge at an event with journalists in Edinburgh.
She insisted the additional health visitors, whose numbers would grow over the course of the next five years, would provide support for a service she claimed would be stretched to breaking point when the SNP’s controversial named person policy comes into force.
Ms Davidson said: “So in our manifesto next week we will set out a fully-costed plan to hire a further 500 health visitors in Scotland over the parliament.
“So that we can do more to actively improve Scotland’s health choices and not just plough ever more money into mopping up the consequences of poor health choices.”
A survey by Unison, the trade union which represents health visitors, found more than half of respondents did not think the new policy would be a good thing.
According to the research, workers are worried about being sued and being consumed by extra work that would impact on time they currently spend with parents.
The SNP insists the policy will protect children’s wellbeing and support, not diminish, the role of parents.
A spokesman added: “It is widely supported by leading children’s charities and welfare organisations, as well as by the Scottish Police Federation, who say it will ‘help keep children safer’ and has also been upheld by the highest court in Scotland.”