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Services

Health Visiting

Health visitors support families with young children, we work in teams for a local community and will have extensive knowledge of your geographical area and its services.

About this service

​Your health visiting journey

We’re here for you to provide support throughout your journey from your 28 week+ antenatal contact through to your two year developmental review.

28 week’s + Antenatal Contact

Your Midwife and Health Visitor will meet with you to discuss your pregnancy. As well as sharing information about breastfeeding, infant feeding, bed sharing, supporting a smoke-free pregnancy, healthy diet and immunisation advice and mental health support that is available for you and your partner should you need it.

7 – 14 day new birth visit

Your Health Visitor will visit your home to listen to you and offer support with anything that you may wish to discuss. As well as sharing information on breast or infant feeding, bed sharing, the move to parenthood, your relationship with your child and how to keep your home smoke-free.

6 – 8 week postnatal visit

Your Health Visitor will visit you at your home to listen and offer support with anything that you may wish to discuss. As well as sharing information on breast or infant feeding, mental health and wellbeing, your relationship with your child and your child’s development.

4 month introduction to solid food

You will receive an invitation to a group, led by a Community Nursery Nurse, providing information on responsive feeding and a healthy diet for you and your child.

9 – 12 month developmental review

You will be invited to a one-to-one review with a member of the Health Visiting Team. Together you will discuss your child’s development and progress, speech and language skills, as well as information on diet and exercise, accident prevention, immunisations and mental health support for you and your family. Information will be shared about local groups or activities available near you.

2 year developmental review

You will be invited to a one-to-one review with a member of the Health Visiting Team. Together you will discuss your child’s development and progress, speech and language skills, as well as information on diet and exercise, accident prevention, immunisations and mental health support for you and your family. Information will be shared about local groups or activities available near you.

Contact us!

Health Visitors are trained nurses or midwives that work with public health nurses and community nursery nurses.

We can help with infant feeding advice, referring on to other professionals after a full assessment, behaviour and sleep advice, continence as well as developmental assessments including speech, physiotherapy, hearing and eyesight.

We can help with the early identification of social and communication difficulties, infant and maternal/paternal mental health and provide support with infant relationships, healthy families, diet/weight and exercise.

We also provide baby hubs in your area which are drop-in sessions or appointments and provide relaxed settings for families to meet and chat with Health Visitors and other parents and Carers. They provide an opportunity for you to meet with a member of the Health Visiting team for advice and support. Click on the map below for details of your nearest hub.

If you would like our support or haven’t heard from us for any reason, get in touch on the numbers below, or click on the map below for more details about your local Health Visiting team.

 

  • Gloucester: 01452 895235 / Quedgeley 0300 421 6978
  • Cheltenham: 0300 421 6486
  • Cotswolds: 0300 421 6952
  • Tewkesbury: 0300 421 6166
  • Stroud: 0300 421 8967 / Vale 0300 421 8433
  • Forest of Dean: 0300 421 8746
Home visits
  • During the COVID pandemic you might find it helpful to make a list beforehand of any main questions or concerns.
  • Our staff will be wearing PPE; masks, visors, aprons and gloves. We would be grateful if adults present could comply with the social distancing guidelines and limit the number of people present in the room and ensure there is adequate ventilation.
  • Please put any dogs in another room before you open the door. They are sometimes confused and may react unpredictably when visitors wear masks.
Video Appointments
  • Video appointments may be offered, using a secure NHS site, alongside face to face New Birth and Six Week Contacts, and if requested by parents and carers as an alternative to face to face 9-12 months and 2 year developmental reviews. You can also request a video contact for advice and support relating to yourself or your child. To book a video contact with a member of the Health Visiting Team, please phone your local team on the numbers provided.
  • Antenatal groups are being held jointly between Midwifery & Health Visiting. Those that are 26 weeks pregnant will be sent an SMS inviting you to book into these sessions.
Community Baby Hubs

The Health Visiting Service is now providing drop-in and appointment-only community baby hubs across the county. Please click on the ‘Services in your Area’ tab below for a list of drop-in and appointment-only hubs in your area.

Developmental Reviews
  • All 9-12 month and 2 year developmental ASQ reviews are being offered as face-to-face appointments in Covid-Secure clinics. If you have not yet received an invitation, please contact your local team.
DadPad

Dads in Gloucestershire can prepare for parenthood with a new free app called DadPad

DadPad is an information pack in digital form developed by dads, for dads to help fathers of all ages in Gloucestershire prepare for family life.

This is particularly relevant in a time when access to parental education classes and midwife appointments have been changed or curtailed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The app covers a range of issues, such as how dads can support mums who are breastfeeding, the anxiety and frustrations that come with parenthood, as well as hands-on advice on issues like nappy changing. Its aim is to provide new fathers across Gloucestershire with guidance on how to develop the mind-set, confidence and practical skills needed to meet their baby’s physical and emotional needs.

In addition to general advice, the app is designed to help partners cope with theirs and their partner’s mental health problems during pregnancy and in the period following the birth of a baby. These perinatal mental health issues affect 1 in 5 women and can include anxiety, depression or more severe illness like post-partum psychosis, which can have a devastating effect on families if left untreated. It is also common for new parents to feel a sense of anxiety, which can lead to fathers becoming depressed, particularly if their partner suffers from perinatal mental health problems or where they feel unable to cope.

The app has been funded by two charities, Gateway and the Peter Lang Trust, along with Better Births Gloucestershire and will be rolled out immediately. DadPad can be downloaded for free by going to the App Store or Google Play Store, and entering a Gloucestershire postcode when prompted. A limited number of hard copy versions will be shared with people who are unable to access online resources.

Steps Ahead support for families with babies and young children

Steps Ahead is new and exciting project which started in April 2022 and provides enhanced opportunities across the county such as, public health social and support groups for families with babies and young children born during the COVID 19 pandemic.

The project is delivered in partnership between ourselves (GHCNHSFT) and Gloucestershire County Council, Barnardo’s and the Aspire Foundation.

Families can find out more and register interest here.

If you have a question related to Steps Ahead services across the Forest of Dean, Stroud and Gloucester City, contact the team at: stepsahead@barnardos.org.uk

For more information about Steps Ahead services across Tewkesbury, Cheltenham and the Cotswolds, click here.

Best Start In Life - School Readiness

Is your child starting school soon? Our community nursery nurses and Health and Wellbeing team runs sessions looking at communicating with your child ahead of the move, how your child is feeling, healthy eating and continence top tips.

Contact your nearest Health Visiting team on the details in the map below for more information, or visit: Gloucestershire County Council’s website for bitesize videos and leaflets.

Please also take a look at our resources section (below) for our handy guides to toilet training, communication and starting school (understanding your child’s behaviour).

Please see also the getting ready for school page here>

Best Start in Life is a partnership project with Gloucestershire County Council.

Useful Information

Find out more information about ICON, breast feeding and much more here>

Friends and Family Test

The Friends and Family Test is an important way for the Health Visiting Service to receive feedback from our service users and their families about their experience. Listening to your views helps us identify what is working well and what can be improved.

Complete the survey

if you have got concerns regarding a child’s safety please go to the Gloucestershire Safeguarding Children Board

If you are new to Gloucestershire we will see you to explain our service and find out how we can help you and your family.

If your child goes to an Emergency Department or is admitted to hospital we are notified. We may give you a call to follow this up with further advice and information.

Baby hubs and services in your area

Choose a location on the map to see your local baby hubs, services and contact details. 

Services in your area

Resources

Replacement guidelines and charts

The following charts are required by the School Nurse team to be completed prior to being  offered an initial continence assessment:

Videos

  • Vitamin D Our Health Visiting team is advising people at high risk of not getting enough vitamin D, all children aged 1 to 4, and all babies (unless they’re having more than 500ml of infant formula a day) to take a daily supplement throughout the year as Jaz Choula explains in this short clip>

Handy guides

Other Children’s Services

Community Nursing
Find out more >

Physiotherapy
Find out more >

School Nursing
Find out more >

Immunisation
Find out more >

Accessibility