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Health Visiting Service
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Our health visitors work with families to improve health outcomes, and provide expert information, assessment and intervention for babies, children and families.
- About the service
- Health visitor appointments
- Well-child clinics
- Contact the team
- Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND)
About the service
Health Visitors are qualified nurses or midwives who have an additional degree or post-graduate diploma in Specialist Community Public Health Nursing. They have specialist training in child development and health promotion and can support families to prevent illness and to promote good health.
We work with Community Staff Nurses and Community Nursery Nurses, who are highly trained practitioners in child development. Together we deliver the universal elements of the 0-5 Healthy Child Programme for families with children aged 0-19 years and up to 25 years for those children and young people with special needs. The Healthy Child Programme focuses on a universal preventative service, providing families with a programme of screening, immunisation, health and development reviews, supplemented by advice around health, wellbeing and parenting.
Health visitor appointments
Antenatal visit:
Your first interaction with a member of the team is likely to be an antenatal visit. Your midwife will let us know about your pregnancy and we will reach out to let you know about our services when you are between 28-32 weeks pregnant.
New birth visit:
After you have given birth and have settled back at home, a health visitor will come to visit you. This usually takes place 10 -14 days after delivery, but can be up to 21 days after your baby was born. During this appointment, the health visitor will ask how you, your partner, family, and baby are feeling. We will provide any information, advice and support you may require about caring for your new baby.
6-8 week review:
Between 6-8 weeks, a health visitor will visit again to see how you are getting on. This appointment will also give you a chance to talk about some of the things you spoke about at the new birth visit again. The health visitor will also talk to you about activities you can do with your baby and changes you will see as they develop.
12-month review:
Around the time your child turns 1, we will contact you with an appointment to review your child’s development. Ahead of the appointment, we will ask you to complete a questionnaire about your child’s development to date.
But please remember, all children progress at their own pace and your child does not need to be able to do everything in the questionnaire.
Integrated 2 1/2-year Review (All About Me @ 2):
When your child is between 2 - 2.5 year’s, we will arrange for another appointment to check your child’s development. In Worcestershire, this review done in partnership with your child’s early year’s setting (childminder, nursery, preschool or playgroup). The ‘All About Me @ 2’ integrated review, is carried out by, both a member of the health visiting team and your child’s early year’s setting. The checks from both settings help to ensure that your child’s developmental needs are met, and any support is put in place if any issues are identified.
Well-child clinics
Our Well Child clinics are open to families with children under the age of 5. We can support you through the early years of your child's life. We may be able to offer support to help you manage those daily parenting challenges, from checking your child/baby's weight and feeding to guiding you through gentle sleep strategies and much more. Find out more.
Contact the team
Usually, the only times you will meet with a member of the team is at one of the visits listed above. However, the Health Visiting team is parent-led and support is available to you and your family until your child reaches 5 years old.
Telephone Advisory Service (TAS)
If your child is under 5 years old and you can call our Telephone Advisory Service (TAS) on: 01905 520 032, Monday – Friday from 9am-1pm to discuss any concerns you may have.
You can also phone 01905 520 032 to discuss any health and development concerns you may have regarding your child.
Email the team
Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND)
All children should have access to the right services, at the right time, to make sure they can reach their full potential. We work together with other agencies to ensure that the right professionals are involved at the right time to meet the needs of you and your child. Find out more about how we support children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND)