Health Visitors
Health Visitors are qualified midwives or nurses with specialist training in Public Health.
They contact you when you are pregnant see you and your child for routine health checks and advice until around the time your child starts school. They work with other health professionals and agencies to promote health and wellbeing for the family as part of the Healthy Child Programme 0-5.
They are a part of the local Health Visiting and School Nursing Services. Their webpages provide additional information about:
- Nutrition, feeding and exercise
- Child development
- Immunisations
- Emotional health and wellbeing
- Illness, allergy, and keeping healthy
- Teething and dental health
- Child and young people’s safety
- Toilet training, wetting and soiling
- Behaviour
- Special needs, learning and physical disabilities
- Starting and moving schools
- Safeguarding
Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust are working with Action for Children, The Children's Society and Torbay council as the 0 to 19 Torbay Partnership.
The Health Visitor and School Nurse team offer Community Public Health Nursing from the antenatal period through to the age of 19 years. We support families during pregnancy, with a new baby or a child up until the age of 19 years. We work with you to support you and your family to be healthy, providing health advice, support, drop in clinics, health checks and screening surveillance. We may work within GP surgeries, community clinics, schools, community settings and people's homes. Some of our work will be with individual young people and their families, some may be within groups. We work with other agencies such as Children's Centre staff, GP's, Midwives, Early Years' settings, Schools, Voluntary and Community groups and Children's Services.
Who to contact
- Telephone
- 0300 333 5352
- publichealthnursing.torbay@nhs.net
- Website
- https://0to19torbay.co.uk/search/?keywords=health+visitors
Where to go
- Address
-
St Edmund’s,
Victoria Park Road, TQ1 3QH
TORQUAY
DEVON - Postcode
- TQ1 3QH
Other Details
Availability
- Age Ranges
- From 0 years 0 months to 5 years 0 months
- Age Ranges
- From 0 years 0 months to 5 years 0 months
- Related links
-
0 to 19 Torbay
Local Offer
- Description
SEN Information
What criteria must be satisfied before children and young people can access this provision/service?
The Health Visiting team is a specialist branch of nursing which consists of health visitors and community nursery nurses.Every family with pre-school children has a named health visitor. Health visitors work in partnership with GPs and other health professionals such as midwives and it is likely you will meet your health visitor towards the end of your pregnancy.Health visitors are concerned with the health of the whole family and can offer support with issues including: family health, post natal depression, feeding, sleeping, minor illness and help you adjust to becoming parents.They carry out developmental assessments on children following the Healthy Child Programme and can advise about immunisations.
How do we identify the particular healthcare needs of a child or young person with special educational needs?
Health visitors and community nursery nurses are able to visit you in your own home or make appointments to see you at their bases. A Family Health Needs Assessment form is completed with all families by the Health Visitor and a plan of action with desired outcomes discussed with you.The team offer developmental reviews and work closely with other health professionals to offer any help and support identified from these assessments.
How do we consult with parents and/or children and young people about their needs?
At every contact with you, theFamily Health Needs Assessment is updated with you and you are encouraged to participate regarding any concerns you may have about your child.If more than one meeting is required, this will be arranged with you.
What is our approach to meeting the healthcare needs of children and young people with special educational needs?
Torbay and Southern Devon Health & Care Trust have an Equality & Diversity Policy and staff have training to support this on a regular basis.Health visitors ensure that all children are treated as individuals in accordance to their needs. Where special needs are identified they liaise with other agencies to ensure best outcomes for the child.
How will we ensure we get the services, provision and equipment that children and young people need?
Health Visitors do not have the financial resources or facilities to meet specific individual equipment needs of children. However, Health Visitors are able to sign post families to both statutory and non-statutory services within their communities,who may have the necessary resources to support the child.
How is this provision funded?
The Health Visiting service is free and a universal service for all families within Torbay. The service is currently commissioned and funded by Public Health England until October 2015. This function will then be transferred from NHS England to the local authority i.e. Torbay Council.
How do we support children and young people with special educational needs moving from children’s services to adult's services?
Health Visitors work with children from 0 to 5 years of age. At the age of 5 they liaise with their school nursing colleagues who take over the child’s care.
How do we assess and review progress towards agreed outcomes, and how are parents, children and young people involved in this process?
Health Visitors and Community Nursery Nurses communicate with clients in a variety of ways including telephone calls and texts, email and letters. Visits to your home or to the clinic can be arranged.
How do we assess the effectiveness of our healthcare provision and how are parents, children and young people involved in this assessment?
Health Visiting teams are regularly audited and all advice given is evidence based. Throughout the year, Health Visitors and Community Nursery Nurses have on going supervision, both clinical, safeguarding and peer observation and one to one supervision with a senior colleague.Good practice is shared at team meetings and clients are offered the opportunity to provide feedback on the service they receive using the ‘Public Health your thoughts on our service’ leaflets. (feedback.t-sd@nhs.net) This is monitored by the Engagement andFeedback Team within the Trust and by our commissioners.
How do we ensure that healthcare staff and other staff have the expertise needed to support children and young people with special educational needs?
All Health Visitors and Community nursery Nurses have training and updates to ensure they can support children with identified needs.They are encouraged to keep a professional portfolio which contains reflections on their practice and identifies the need for training. This is discussed at their annual appraisals.
How can parents, children and young people make a complaint about our provision?
Concerns and complaints can be sent to:
- Engagement and Feedback Team,Torbay and Southern Devon Health & Care NHS Trust,Bay House,Nicholson Road,Torquay. TQ2 7TD
- Tel: 01803 217397
- Email: feedback.t-sd@nhs.net
How can parents, children and young people get more information about the setting?
TSDHCT web site: http://www.torbayandsouthdevon.nhs.uk/services/health-visiting/
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