Single point of contact Tel: 02475 189190

What we do

We work to improve the health and wellbeing of children and families in the crucial first years of life.

Our community teams offer friendly support and advice and we work closely with GPs, midwives, school nurses and the wider local community.

The service is universal to all children and families, with a wider service to those with additional needs. The four levels of care are:

Your community

Communities have a range of services provided a number of groups. Health visitors work closely with others to develop services and make sure you know about them.

We can help with:

• housing and local services
• dealing with community issues
• We provide the Healthy Child Programme to ensure a healthy start for your child, ongoing support for parents, and access to a range of community based services and resources.

Service levels

Universal Service:

• a visit before your baby is born, usually when you are more than 25 weeks pregnant
• a visit and check when your baby is 11-14 days old
• a review for you and your baby at 6-8 weeks carried out by your GP
• a contact when your baby is 3-4 months old
• a 9-month health review
• a 2-2 ½ year review, usually carried out by a nursery nurse

Universal Plus: gives parents an expert response from health visitors when specific help is needed.

This may be in the case of:

• post-natal depression
• sleep problems
• breastfeeding
• other feeding issues
• speech development
• concerns regarding your child’s behaviour and/or development

Universal Partnership Plus: provides ongoing support from health visiting teams plus a range of local services that help with more complex issues. These include children’s centre services, other community services including some charities when appropriate, and the Family Nurse Partnership.

For example:

• families living with disabilities
• mental health issues
• drug and alcohol related problems
• learning disabilities
• complex family circumstances
• support with domestic violence