Need to contact a team directly? Visit our team and service A-Z.
Need to contact a team directly? Visit our team and service A-Z.
We are part of the 0-19 Public Health Nursing Service. We work with families to achieve the best health and wellbeing for children from birth to 5 years of age, by identifying health needs and promoting healthy lifestyles.
We are qualified nurses or midwives with extra specialist training in community public health, child development and health promotion. This means we can support families to prevent illness and promote good health.
We work alongside community nurses and community nursery nurses, who are also highly trained in child development. Together, we deliver parts of the Healthy Child Programme for families with children aged 0–19, and up to 25 for those with special educational needs or disabilities. The Healthy Child Programme provides families with screening, immunisations, and regular health and development reviews, along with advice on health, wellbeing and parenting.
We operate Monday to Friday between 9:00am — 5:00pm, excluding bank holidays. We also run our Telephone Advice Service from 9:00am — 1:00pm Mon - Friday.
Please be aware that response to messages may take up to 10 working days.
Unfortunately we are not a urgent help service. If you have immediate concerns about your child's health and wellbeing, please visit the urgent help section of this website: Urgent help and support in an emergency | Children, Young People and Families
All families are offered 5 contacts with the Health Visiting Service, from pregnancy until a child starts full time school. These are:
Your first contact with us is usually during pregnancy. Your midwife will tell us you’re expecting, and we will get in touch when you are around 28–32 weeks to explain the support we offer.
Once you’re home after the birth, a health visitor will visit you. This usually happens when your baby is 10–14 days old, but it can be up to 21 days. We’ll ask how you, your family and your baby are doing, and give you any advice or support you need with caring for your newborn.
When your baby is 6–8 weeks old, we’ll visit again to see how things are going. You can talk about anything from the new birth visit, and we’ll chat about activities you can do with your baby and what to expect as they grow.
Around your child’s first birthday, we’ll contact you to arrange a development review. Before the appointment, we’ll ask you to complete a short questionnaire. Don’t worry, children develop at their own pace, and your child doesn’t need to be able to do everything on the list.
When your child is between 2 and 2½ years old, we’ll arrange another development review. In Worcestershire, this is done together with your child’s early years setting (nursery, childminder, preschool or playgroup). Both the health visiting team and the early years staff complete checks to make sure your child’s development is on track and to offer support if needed.
Outside of these key contacts, there is lots of support available to families. You can access our teams in clinics, groups and through text, email and phone.
Our Well Child clinics are open to families with children under the age of 5. We can support you through the early years of your child's life, where necessary, including advice around sleep, development, growth, feeding and toilet training.
To view locations and timetables, visit Well Child clinics in Worcestershire | Children, Young People and Families.
Alternatively, you can contact your local health visitor using our Parentline text service:
Please be aware that response to messages may take up to 10 working days.
You may be able to access help and support from other teams within the Public Health Nursing Service. Follow the links below to find out more about the services available.
Support to quit smoking for young people aged 12–17, parents, carers, and anyone living with a child or young person under 19,
Supporting children, young people and families with a wide range of health and wellbeing concerns, from emotional health and bullying to sexual health and healthy lifestyles.
If you or someone you know needs support or information, you can look at the advice section on this website. You can also talk to the team who is supporting you.