Core opening hours:
- 9am - 4:30pm - Monday to Friday
Additional services with different operating hours:
- Telephone Advisory Service (TAS): 9am - 1pm - Monday to Friday
- ChatHealth: 9am - 5pm - Monday to Friday
About the service
As Health Visitors we aim to work with families to improve future health outcomes, and by utilising our specialist training we can provide expert information, assessment and intervention for babies, children and families including first time mothers and fathers and families with complex needs.
Health Visitors are qualified nurses or midwives who have an additional degree or post graduate diploma in Specialist Community Public Health Nursing. They have had specialist training in child development and health promotion and can support families to prevent illness and to promote good health.
We provide a family focused service to ensure children and families have a positive start in life. We are community based to ensure our service continues to be accessible to all. Health Visitors will also provide support over the telephone.
We can help with;
- Keeping children safe and preventing accidents
- Support with Healthier lifestyles – Smoking cessation, alcohol and substance misuse
- An unhappy or violent relationship or family conflict
- Immunisation/screening programmes
- Safeguarding Children
- General health advice and referral to appropriate services
- Supporting with Healthy Eating
Starting Well Plus is a new voluntary programme in Worcestershire developed with support and kind permission from Ripplez CIC Family First service. This programme is specifically for those under 25 years old expecting their first baby or having their first experience of parenting.
Our Health Visitors will provide you with information and support you to make decisions which help you to have a healthy pregnancy, improve your child’s health and development and plan your own future.
Contact your local Health Visiting Team
Who do Health Visitors work with?
We will work alongside other professionals including
- Breastfeeding Specialist Support Advisers
- Midwives
- Community Paediatricians
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service
- Speech and Language
- Paediatric Audiology
- Paediatric Physiotherapy
- School Nurses
- Occupational Therapists
- Parenting Support Services
- Perinatal Mental Health Team
- GP's
Safeguarding
Worcestershire Health Visitors work closely with the Safeguarding Children's Board and Integrated Safeguarding Team to ensure that all Children and Young People within our area are safe and cared for.
- An unhappy or violent relationship or family conflict
- Immunisation/screening programmes
- Safeguarding Children
- General health advice and referral to appropriate services
- Supporting with healthy eating
What we do?
Health Visitors are Specialist Community Public Health Nurses who alongside Community Nursery Nurses deliver the 0-5 Healthy Child Programme:
Antenatal visit: 28-32 weeks pregnant
A Health Visitor will help you prepare for parenthood and is someone you can talk to about how you are feeling. This visit will be offered to all first time parents and to other families if required.
10-14 days after birth
You can talk with the Health Visitor about how your new baby is settling in and you can ask questions regarding any aspect of their care including feeding issues and immunisations. You can also talk about how you are feeling. The Health Visitor will also be able to advise on support and activities in your local area.
Six to eight weeks after the birth
You can talk to your Health Visitor about how you and your new family are doing. There will be an opportunity to talk about immunisations which start at 8 weeks and how you are feeling emotionally and physically.
9-12 months Ages and Stages developmental review
This is also an opportunity to discuss your child’s general health and wellbeing. If you are interested, your health visitor can also put you in touch with local baby groups, children’s centres or activities in your area.
2-2½ years Ages and Stages developmental review
This is an opportunity to discuss your child’s development and general health and wellbeing including speech and language development, toilet training and behaviour.
2½ - 5 years
You can contact your health visitor directly to discuss any concerns you may have regarding your child.
How to contact your Health Visitor
You can contact the health visiting team to discuss any health and development concerns you may have regarding your child by calling our 1 simple number: 01905 520 032. If your child is under 5 years old and you need advice on issues such as feeding, behavior or constipation, contact our Telephone Advisory Service (TAS) on: 01905 520 032 Mon-Fri 9am-1pm.
You will see/speak to a member of the health visiting team, please note, the member of staff you will see/speak too will not be medically trained, if your child is unwell please contact the most appropriate service such as; Pharmacist, GP, 111 or 999
Book an appointment to attend a Well Child clinic
We’re delighted to offer face-to-face appointments with our Health Visiting teams once again and understand how important this is to new parents and their babies. They provide an opportunity for new parents to discuss any concerns they may have about their child’s health and development. Find out more about our bookable Well Child clinics.