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 visitors are registered nurses or midwives; they come from a wide range of backgrounds and have a wealth of experience. 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.
This means that we are skilled to help you and your family lead as healthy lives as possible, both physically and emotionally. As a service we use up to date health research and Department of Health guidance – so you can be sure that our advice is based on the latest evidence.
If at any time you are concerned about you child’s health and/or developmental which may benefit from specialist intervention, we would be happy to discuss the options in partnership with you. These may include referral to other specialists such as speech and language therapy, physiotherapy or a paediatrician.
Your Community Nursery Nurse
Our Community nursery nurses work alongside health visitors and have a range of childcare related qualifications which gives them expert knowledge of child health and development.
Your Public Health Nurse
Our Public health nurses are registered nurses. They work with other professionals to support children with complex medical needs as well as specialist educational needs and their families within the community.
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.
Service update
Due to the current situation with COVID-19, we are having to make some changes to the way we work in the community. We want to ensure that the families, children and young people that really need our support can still access help.
If you have an appointment with us in a COVID-secure setting we are requesting that all adults wear a mask and maintain social distancing. If you are being visited within your home can we request that the environment is well ventilated and that only one parent/carer is present with the child during the contact.
Please contact your Health Visiting Team on the following numbers with any concerns or advice, or if you have recently moved into the county or registered with a Gloucestershire GP:
- 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
Please click the tabs below to see updates about Home Visits, Video Appointments, Community Baby Hubs and Developmental Reviews.
You can also find information and updates on these web pages or our social media channels. Please be assured the reason for this decision is to protect the public and reduce the spread Covid-19.
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
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One-to-one, face-to-face COVID-secure Baby Clinic appointments can be booked by telephoning your local team on the numbers provided. Drop in baby hubs are not available across all the localities at this current time due to NHS Covid guidelines.
Developmental Reviews
- All 9-12 monthand 2 year developmental ASQ reviews are being offered face to face over the coming months, in a COVID secure setting. However parents can request a video appointment as an alternative.
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.
What we offer
Below are the 4 Levels of Service outlined by NHS England. These set out what all families can expect from their local health visitor service:
1.Community: Health Visitors have a broad knowledge of community needs and resources available, e.g. children’s centres and self-help groups, and work to develop these and make sure families know about them.
2.Universal: (The 5 key visits) Health visitor teams ensure that every new mother and child have access to a health visitor, receive development checks and receive good information about healthy start issues such as parenting and immunisation, the team can also be accessed for advice on sleep, behavior and feeding as an example.
The following 5 key visits are offered to all families under the universal level of service.
- From 28 weeks – antenatal
- 10-14 days – new baby
- 6-8 weeks
- 9-12 months
- 2-2½ years
3.Targeted: Families can access timely, expert advice from a health visitor when they need extra support.
4.Specialist: Health visitors provide ongoing support, playing a key role in bringing together relevant local services, to help families with continuing complex needs, for example where a child has a long-term condition or there are safeguarding concerns.
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.
Resources
Replacement guidelines and charts
- What can I do to help my wetting? This information sheet is sent out with the charts for completion
The following charts are required by the School Nurse team to be completed prior to being offered an initial continence assessment:
Information for Professionals
The Health Visiting Service
Health Visitors are trained nurses or midwives that work with public health nurses and community nursery nurses. The Gloucestershire Health Visiting Team are commissioned to offer 5 key visits to all families under the universal level of service:
- From 28 weeks: Antenatal – Group – Face to Face
- 7-14 days: New baby
- 6-8 weeks
- 9-12 months
- 2-2½ years
The Health Visiting Service is commissioned to deliver the Gloucestershire Family offer, which compromises Universal, Universal Plus and Universal Partnership Plus.
Universal
This includes the Healthy Child Programme key to contacts to ensure a healthy start for children and families. The Health Visiting Team supports parents and facilitates access to a range of community services/resources and refers to the GP where appropriate.
The Health Visiting Team
Health Visitor
A registered nurse with a specialist public health degree or Masters qualification
Public Health Nurse Practitioner
A registered nurse with community experience
Community Nursery Nurse
A qualified nursery nurse who holds a Diploma in Childcare and/or Education, NVVQ Level 3 or equivalent
The Health Visiting Team works with families and communities to improve access, experience and outcomes, and reduce health inequalities.
They work alongside public health nurses, community nursery nurses and provide professional expertise.
Below are examples of some of the areas in which they work with families and communities:
- Infant feeding
- Referring on to other professionals after a full assessment
- Behaviour/sleep advice
- Continence assessment
- Developmental assessments, including speech, physiotherapy, hearing, eyesight etc.
- Early identification of social and communication difficulties
- Infant and maternal/paternal mental health
- Domestic abuse
- Infant relationships
- Healthy families, diet/weight and exercise
Accessing The Health Visiting Service
Each GP surgery has a named Health Visitor who visits their surgery monthly.
Please refer to the map above to identify your local Health Visiting Team and their contact details.
COVID-19 update on service delivery
Other Children’s Services
Community Nursing
Find out more >
Physiotherapy
Find out more >
School Nursing
Find out more >
Immunisation
Find out more >
