Who are Health Visitors?
- Registered nurses and midwives with specialist training in child health and development
- We work in partnership with parents and carers to support the health and wellbeing of every child aged 0 to 5 years
- We will visit you at home for your convenience and can also prescribe medication for some minor illnesses
- We work within a multi skilled team so we can ensure the practitioner with the right skills can support you as quickly as possible
Public Health role
- Transition to parenthood
- Maternal emotional health
- Infant feeding
- Healthy weight
- Managing minor illness and accident prevention
- Preparing for school
What we offer to everyone
Health Visitors work within the 0 – 19+ Service in St Helens to deliver the National Healthy Child Programme and offer a universal service to all.
As part of this we will contact you to undertake the following visits:
- Antenatal contact from 28 weeks of pregnancy
- Birth contact 10 to 14 days after delivery
- 6 to 8 week review, 9 to 12 months review and a 2 to 2½ year review
In addition we are always here to listen to any additional concerns you may have about yourself or your child and can provide extra support to assist you in overcoming these.
For well babies we offer weekly clinics where you can get your baby weighed or speak to a health visitor for advice. When your child starts reception class their care will transfer to the school nursing service.
Safeguarding Children and Young People
- If you are worried about an adult or child’s safety including your own, at home or anywhere else you can speak to us
- We work closely with other services to keep you and your child/children safe
- There may be occasions when we are asked to attend meetings with other agencies about you or your child/ children and family, in this case, we may see you more frequently
- Whenever possible anything we do will be discussed and agreed with you.
Confidentiality
All members of the health visiting team have a duty to protect your privacy and confidentiality.
We would only share information with your consent. Information without consent could only be shared in situations where we have a concern that there was a risk of harm to your child or a member of your family.
If you have any worries about confidentiality please talk to a member of staff.
Contacting the team
Your local health visiting team can be contacted Monday to Friday from 9.00am to 5.00pm for advice and support. We will usually arrange to see you at home where you and your child are most comfortable; however alternative arrangements can be made on occasion as needed.
- Tel: 01744 411277
- Visit our website: wchc.nhs.uk/children
If you would like this information in another format or language, please contact the Your Experience Team on freephone 0800 694 5530. Alternatively you can email [email protected]
Download the PDF leaflet
Sept 2023 Version 3
