We are pleased to announce that we have been chosen by the Department of Health to lead the way in delivering a new health visiting service.

In 2011, the Government announced its ambition to expand and strengthen health visiting services across the country in its Health Visitor Implementation Plan. The core ambition was to recruit an extra 4,200 health visitors across the country over the next four years, while transforming the service so that health visitors offer a universal service to families, with more targeted and tailored support for those who need it.

“Health visitors are trusted by parents and have the training and experience to provide a helping hand when families need it most” said Prime Minister David Cameron at the time.

As part of its plan, the government announced that it would be setting up ‘Health Visiting Early Implementer Sites’. Selected to showcase some of the best health visiting practice in the country, these NHS Trusts would lead the way in increasing numbers of health visitors, boosting the profile locally of the profession, supporting health visitors to deliver the new service model and sharing learning from the development process with other NHS Trusts.

Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust is to become one of 23 new Early Implementer Sites across the country (joining 26 others sites who have been early implementing and sharing their practice at a national level over the last 12 months).

Julie Waldron, Chief Executive of Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust said: “Because Health Visitors offer support in a child’s life at the earliest opportunity, they are pivotal in helping children and families achieve the best possible future.  Health Visitors are key in delivering preventative healthcare and play a massive part in improving health outcomes for Oxfordshire’s communities.  We look forward to the next phase in transforming our existing health visiting service and sharing these developments with NHS colleagues across the country.”