Health visiting

The Health Visiting Service is a universal service offered to every family with a baby or child under five years old. Health visitors are qualified nurses or midwives who have had further training in public health and all areas of child health and development.

Health visitors offer support and advice to families on a wide range of topics.

These include breastfeeding and introducing solid food, health related topics including managing minor illness and information on immunisations, sleep, toileting, supporting mothers with post-natal depression, putting parents in touch with a variety of specialist services that can support them and their child’s healthy development, and much more.

More information on NHS guidance for parents can be found here: Baby | Start4Life

Reviews by your health visitor will typically take place at home, in a GP surgery, baby clinic or children’s centre. You will be allocated a health visitor who will see you for your new birth home visit and 6–8 week appointment, after this any follow up support may be delivered by another health visitor or member of the health visiting team.

One and two-year reviews are conducted by either a health visitor, community staff nurse (health visiting) or healthy child practitioner who have all undergone extensive training in child development.

A photo of a woman gazing down at her newborn baby. The baby is dressed in a pink outfit. A midwife's gloved hand is in shot cradling the baby's head.

All families will have the following visits:

A new birth visit when the baby is about 10-14 days old
A support visit/clinic appointment at 6-8 weeks after the birth
Development review for the child between 10 – 15 months old (1 year review)
A developmental review at 2 – 2 ½ years old.

All members of the health visiting team will put the contact details of the service in the personal child health record (PCHR), also known as the ‘red book’.

Health visitors will offer further visits if they feel this is needed or you require additional support. You can ask for this at any time during your child’s first five years. Further information about the role of the health visitor can be found on the Institute of Health Visiting website

If you would like a new named health visitor, you can contact the Single Point of Access in Shropshire on 0333 358 3654 or Telford and Wrekin on 0333 358 3328 . You can ask to speak to the Health Visitor Team Leader if you wish to discuss any concerns.

Please be aware that this may cause a delay to your care while this is arranged. Full information on the health visiting service in Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin can be found here: Health visiting service.

For further information on health visiting and your baby’s development reviews, visit the NHS Website and Tommys

If you wish to contact any of the 0 -19 public health nursing team, which includes the health visitor, school nurse or family nurse partnership, please call 0333 358 3328.