Who we are

Health visitors are registered nurses/midwives who have additional training in community public health nursing.

We provide a professional public health service based on best evidence of what works for individuals, families, groups and communities.

We work to enhance health and reduce health inequalities through a proactive, universal service for all children 0-5 years and for vulnerable populations targeted according to need.

 

Proactive care

Health visiting is a proactive, universal service that provides a platform from which to reach out to individuals and vulnerable groups, taking into account their different dynamics and needs, and reducing inequalities in health.  Pre-school children and their families are our key focus. All children under the age of 5 with an Oxfordshire postcode are linked to a local health visiting team.

Who we work with

We work with parents who have new babies, offering support and informed advice from the ante-natal period until the child starts school at 5 years.

We lead teams of Community Staff Nurses, Community Nursery Nurses and Administrators. All families can expect a minimum number of contacts or visits as follows:

  • Before the birth of your child
  • Soon after the birth of your child
  • When your child is 6-8 weeks old
  • When your child is between 9-12 months
  • When your child is 24-30 months
  • When you move into a new area

We will review your child’s health and development at all these stages.

As well as this, if you are needing some extra support at various times in your child’s life, for example with sleep, behaviour, language development, toilet training, we can also support and advise. We can see you at home, in a clinic or community setting. We can also meet up with you digitally. Our staff  run a variety of health promotion groups, our “Early Days” postnatal groups, “Marvellous Me” health promotion groups, “Knowing Me, Knowing You” and “Breathing Space” groups for parents experiencing low mood and/or anxiety. We also hold regular well baby clinics throughout the county.

Many families may need support for specific issues that affect their children’s health and development, from time to time, so the service we provide to each family will vary according to a personalised assessment of their own needs and evidence of what will work for them.

We work alongside GPs, Midwives, Paediatricians, Early Years education, LCSS, Local Authority,  voluntary organisations, among others.

Health Visiting: Institute of Health Visiting

We are “Baby Friendly”

Our health visiting service has been accredited as “Baby Friendly” with the UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative. The UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative enables public services to better support families with feeding and developing close and loving relationships so that all babies get the best possible start in life. Find out more about what that means and the standards we have to adhere to:

Page last reviewed: 6 December, 2023