Should you need urgent health advice please contact your GP or call NHS 111. In an emergency please visit A&E or call 999
Your Health Visiting Service
You will have regular contact with your health visiting team from your baby’s birth to your child reaching 2 years old including all the important milestones along the way.
See what your area’s health visiting team offers
Your health visiting team is:
Devon County Council
-
Devon text service for parents:
text
07520 631721 -
Eastern public health nursing hub:
phone
0333 234 1903 -
Exeter public health nursing hub:
phone
0333 234 1902 -
Northern public health nursing hub:
phone
0333 234 1904 -
Southern public health nursing hub:
phone
0333 234 1901
If you are concerned about the safety of a child in Devon, contact our Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) on 0345 155 1071 or email mashsecure@devon.gov.uk with as much information as possible.
Your Health Visiting offer in Devon
Health visiting: What does a health visitor do?
We help families to give their newborn children the best start in life. We support families during the first few years of a child’s life, which can have a big impact on the lifelong health and wellbeing of young children and their families
In this video a health visitor explains their role and the support they offer to new parents:
How you can see a member of the health visiting team:
- At an appointment clinic – book via the relevant Public Health Nursing hub or practitioner. Most appointments now take place in appointment clinics. These are located in a variety of community venues and enable you to see the right practitioner for your needs at that time
- By home based appointment (where required)
- At a multi-agency meeting
- At a specialist clinic, for example, infant feeding specialist clinic (referral via health visitor)
Partners are welcome at any of these visits or appointments.
All points of contact will allow for a review of any family health concerns and work with you to plan how additional support can be accessed if required
Many of the universal reviews utilise a blended approach of delivery with telephone, digital and face to face elements. In Devon we are developing a group model for some of our key contacts so that we support you in building not only your parenting knowledge and confidence but also your networks of support.
1
Antenatal contact
You will be contacted by your Public Health Nurse (Health Visitor) between 28 – 36 weeks pregnant. In many areas of Devon you will currently receive a contact detailing how to access the service, our digital resources, and signposting you to wider support. This contact will be in the form of a letter. As our group model rolls out we will increasingly invite parents to a group session which allows them to explore some of the public health considerations of becoming a parent. Some parents will be offered individual face to face contact dependant on needs.
If you require additional support, please contact your health visiting team or ChatHealth.
2
New birth contact
You will be contacted by your Public Health Nurse (Health Visitor), to arrange a contact once your midwife has discharged your baby and yourself from her care. At this time we will offer you a Newbirth contact. This will be face to face within the home. All public health nursing staff will wear the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) during face to face visits in compliance with national infection control measures.
During this contact you will be able to discuss
- Feeding your baby
- Safe sleep and safety
- Emotional wellbeing and support available
- Your family and environment
Part of this contact involves your baby being weighed and measured and answering any questions you may have about your and your baby’s health and wellbeing.
3
4 to 10 week contact
Our aim is that we will have a contact with you during this period of time. As our group model rolls out we will increasingly invite parents to a group session which allows them to explore some of the public health considerations that are appropriate around this time. Some parents will be offered individual face to face contact dependant on needs.
During this contact you will be able to discuss
- Feeding
- Development
- Crying baby
- Safe sleep and safety
- Vaccinations
- Oral health
- Emotional health and wellbeing and bonding with your baby
Your baby should have a routine physical examination at 6 to 8 weeks, which is usually done by your GP and includes not only weighing your baby but also a variety of other checks. Please contact your GP if you have not yet had your 6-8 week review.
4
10-16 week contact
Our aim is that we will have a contact with you during this period of time. As our group model rolls out we will increasingly invite parents to a group session which allows them to explore some of the public health considerations that are appropriate around this time.
The information received at this contact includes
- How you can support your baby’s development
- Safety in the home
- Getting out and about with your baby
Emotional health and wellbeing
5
16-21 week contact
Our aim is that we will have a contact with you during this period of time. As our group model rolls out we will increasingly invite parents to a group session which allows them to explore some of the public health considerations that are appropriate around this time.
The information received at this contact includes
- Introducing solids
- How you can support your baby’s development
6
10-12 month contact
This contact will be held in a clinic setting face to face with a member of our Public Health Nursing team when your child is between 10 and 12 months old.
During this contact you will be able to discuss
- Development
- Feeding and oral health
- Play
- Behaviour
- Health
- Emotional health and wellbeing
7
2 year contact
You will be contacted by your Public Health Nursing team when your child is between 2 years and 2 and a half years old.
This contact will be provided face to face in a clinic setting by a member of our public health nursing team.
During this contact you will be able to discuss
- Your child’s development, behaviour and toilet training
- Your child’s health, including diet, vaccinations and oral health
- Early years education
- Family environment and safety in the home
- Emotional health and wellbeing
Additional support from Devon Health Visiting
Devon Public Health Nursing is made up of Health Visitors who are qualified nurses with additional qualifications in specialist community public health, public health staff nurses and community health workers. Devon Public Health Nursing can offer further support to you and your family when needs are identified, such as:
- Feeding, nutrition and starting solid foods
- Growth Monitoring and developmental delay
- Managing sleep, behaviour and toileting
- Safety
- CONI (Care of next infant)
- Maternal Mental Health
These will delivered as time limited packages of care by the Public Health Nursing Team.
Have your say
Help us improve the local information on this website and give us feedback about any contacts you have had with our service by completing the Devon Public Health Nursing feedback form.
