Merton Council voted unanimously to extend the current Children’s Community Health Services contract for another two years earlier this week.

Cabinet member for adult social care Tobin Myers said: “It is worth saying that the contract forms part of another contract which is going to be commissioned with the CCG (Clinical Commissioning Group) and community health services.”

Central London Community Health Services NHS Trust has been the contract holder for the past three years.

It forms part of a joint service with Merton CCG, which approved the contract extension in March.

The contract costs the council £3,824,695 a year and includes a health visiting service for new babies and parents.

A report states that in the first quarter of 2017/18 99.3 per cent of new birth visits were carried out within 14 days. An increase from 84.1 per cent in 2014/15 under the previous provider.

A decision to re-tender the contract was rejected as it risked “disrupting the current good and improving service performance demonstrated by CLCH to date,” the report said.