Health Visiting
The Doncaster Health Visiting service consists of Specialist Community Public Health nurses and other professionals who provide expert information, assessments and interventions for babies, children and families including first time mothers, fathers and families with complex needs. Health visitors help to empower parents to make decisions that affect their family’s health and well being. Their role is central to improving the health outcomes of the population and reduce inequalities.
Why Health Visiting?
Every child is entitled to the best possible start in life and health visitors play an essential role in achieving this. The Health Visiting service works alongside other health professionals. These include early years practitioners, voluntary organisations, peer supporters, General Practitioners, primary and secondary care providers as well as family hubs to provide a complete service which is focused on improving health and reducing inequalities. Health visitors take the lead for a prevention and early intervention public health programme called the Healthy Child Programme 0-5. This programme lies at the heart of the universal service for children and families. It aims to support parents at this crucial stage of life, promotes child development, improves child health outcomes and ensures that ‘at risk’ families are identified at the earliest opportunity.
What do Health Visitors do?
Your health visitor will have extensive knowledge about child development, child health, parenting strategies, breast feeding, nutrition, maternal mood and community support. They offer support with social, emotional and environmental issues that affect families. Health visitors work as part of a healthcare team which includes nursery nurses and community nursery nurse assistants by assessing the health needs of individuals, families and the wider community.
The health visiting service leads and coordinates the Universal Healthy Child Programme, which offers five visits incorporating advice, support and interventions for children and families from antenatal right through to when your child goes to school.
If you require some additional support our health visiting teams can provide advice on post natal depression, parenting, nutrition or any concerns regarding the health and development of your child.
Our service also offers an Enhanced Programme of support for families who are first time parents and may require further support and advice:
- Health advice and support throughout your pregnancy and up to your baby’s first birthday
- Access to our five week Antenatal Parenting Classes – Understanding pregnancy, labour, birth and your baby
- Emotional and physical wellbeing
- Learn all about how your baby’s brain develops and how you can support this
- Promoting healthy relationships right from the start
- Sharing evidence based ideas and approaches for your family
- Supporting positive outcomes for your family
Contact Us
Our Single Point of Contact , instant messenger and text messaging service are running as normal Monday – Friday between the hours of 9am – 4.30pm. Parents, carers, students and professionals can contact the team via our social media sites which continue to be active and responsive.
eClinic App
New Parent Plus eClinic app is an instant messaging drop-in clinic for parents & carers with children in the Doncaster area and professionals wanting
advice around young people aged 11-18 years to talk to a CAMHS or With Me in Mind Practitioner via their mobile device. The app can be downloaded via android or IOS, register your details and book an appointment via the app. The appointment is held via a text message-based service.
Parent Plus access the apps via the below links
- Register an account providing all necessary information
- Book your appointment
On the day of your appointment
- Log into your account and wait for your appointment to commence, you’ll be given reminders of your appointment during the day.
- Simply chat to your CAMHS Practitioner via instant messaging.
How we work with other agencies
The Health Visiting team is based in the community and can be accessed in various venues, including your family home, Health Centres, Family Hub’s or simply by telephoning the Single Point of Contact or on our:
Doncaster Health Visitors Facebook
Doncaster Health Visitors Instagram
A key part of the Health Visiting team is to build community scope by working together with health professionals such as GPs, midwives, speech therapists and hospital professionals, as well as social and voluntary care partners to deliver local public health campaigns and events.
Doncaster Family Hub Referral Form
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