Health visiting

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Health visiting services

Health Visitors offer services to families within our children’s centres and local health centres to provide services to families in locations close to their home. After attending antenatal classes and being seen at home by midwives, parents will receive information and support for their new babies, and also be invited to baby clinics to regularly weigh babies and ensure that they are healthy and well.

It is not uncommon for mothers to suffer emotional difficulties or low mood after childbirth. Health Visitors can follow-up with you discreetly at home and can refer onto other relevant services if need be. Your Doctor/GP can also refer onto services.

There are a number of sessions offering breastfeeding advice and support. These sessions also offer facilities to weigh baby and health advice for mother and baby. Health visitors and midwives are available at these sessions. One to one breastfeeding support is also available on request, at home or at the postnatal group.

If you are a mother who has enjoyed breastfeeding, please look into the ‘La Leche breastfeeding peer counseling training programme’. This training programme offers mothers who have experience breastfeeding three months training to use their valuable experience to help support new mothers.

 

Health visitors can also provide extra support at home for children and families identified as having greater health and social needs.

Classes are held regularly on various topics such as baby massage and weaning, and parents are encouraged to call and book onto a class in advance, as they are very popular.

An invitation is sent to parents of both one year old and two year old children to attend a routine Health and Development Review.

This involves health visitors reviewing your child’s progress and ensuring that they are meeting their expected developmental milestones. Children may then be referred onto Speech and Language Therapists, Physiotherapists or other relevant services where necessary.

For more information on Health and Development Reviews please click here. 

 

To find out more visit or contact your local health visiting service.

Page last reviewed: 11/03/2024

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