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:
West Sussex
-
Brighton & Hove:
text
07507 331296 -
Brighton & Hove:
phone
01273 266000 -
West Sussex:
text
07312 277163 -
West Sussex:
phone
01273 242004
Should you require urgent health advice in the meantime, please contact your GP, visit an NHS walk-in centre or call NHS 111. For emergencies, dial 999 or visit A&E.
You can also email the West Sussex health visiting team at: sc-tr.wsxhcpduty@nhs.net
Welcome to your local health visiting service for West Sussex
Health Visitors are qualified nurses or midwives who have completed additional training in specialist community public health. Your local health visiting teams also have staff nurses, community nursery nurses and administrators. Please see the Institute of Health Visiting infographic entitled ‘Who are health visitors and what do they do’?
We will offer you a minimum of five contacts from late pregnancy through to a developmental assessment of your child when they are about two years old. These appointments may be offered as a video call or as a face to face appointment.
During these appointments, your health visitor may use a tool called promotional guides. Promotional guides are a series of cards which cover a range of topics such as your family and friends, looking after yourself and your baby and caring for your baby. You may find the use of these cards helpful in supporting you to have a purposeful conversation with the health visitor.
We understand the challenges of parenthood and can provide antenatal and postnatal support, giving you the tools and support to help your children thrive and reach their full potential. We assess health, growth, and development promoting healthy lifestyles.
For more information, please watch this video clip from the BBC.
Your Health Visiting offer:
1
Antenatal contact
You are expecting a baby, congratulations!
Your Health Visitor team will be in touch to offer you an antenatal contact when you are approaching the birth of your baby.
- We would like to meet you and your partner talk to about what kind of support you will have after your baby is born.
- We will ask about your pregnancy, you and your partners’ health and mental health and your experience of family.
- We will give you information that will help you get ready for your baby, such as safer sleep, other safety advice and information about infant feeding.
- You will also be sent or given your baby’s red book, which is a record for you to keep of their health, growth and development.
These appointments are often by video, however please ask if you would prefer to meet us face to face. We will offer face to face contacts if you or your midwife (with your consent) have shared health or social needs with us in advance.
2
New birth visit
Congratulations on the arrival of your baby (or babies!)
We aim to visit you at home 10-14 days after your baby is born. It is similar to the antenatal contact, but also includes an assessment of your new baby which may include:
- A feeding assessment and breastfeeding support if appropriate.
- Providing health promotion information such as safer sleeping, coping with crying, immunisations, supporting infant wellbeing and more.
This is a face to face appointment at your home.
3
6-8 week review
The 6-8 week contact by the Health Visiting team is in addition to the medical review which is carried out by the GP.
Our focus is on supporting you to enjoy your new family and is an opportunity to further discuss topics such as
- Infant feeding
- Sleep routines
- Your child’s development
- Vaccinations
- Family needs may have changed since the antenatal contact so these will be reviewed, particularly mental health, as some new mums, and also partners may suffer from post-natal depression.
These appointments are often by video, however please ask if you would prefer to meet us face to face. However if you or your health visitor have already identified that you need additional support this is likely to be a face to face appointment.
4
First development review by 1 year (10-12 months)
When your child approaches their first birthday, we offer a routine development review.
It is a good opportunity to review your child/rens health and check their developmental milestones. We will send you a questionnaire, called the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (or ASQ) for you to fill in before the appointment. This will help us to see all of the new things your child is able to do.
We also reassess your family’s health and wellbeing, as this may have changed since the 6-8 week contact with us.
The Health Visiting team can offer advice to support positive parenting and promote parental wellbeing. We can also offer advice on subjects like sleep, accident prevention, oral health and healthy eating.
These appointments are usually face to face at a venue, and last up to 45 mins. We use a self booking system and you will be sent information about how to book the appointment.
5
2nd development review age 2-2.5 years
This contact is offered when your child is between 2 and 2½ years of age and is another opportunity for the Health Visiting team to review your child’s health and development, and also to start preparing for school.
As with the 1 year review, we will send you a questionnaire before the appointment, which you can complete to tell us all the things your child can do. This helps us to give you the best advice to support your child.
Topics we discuss include
- Toilet training
- Behaviour,
- Sleep
- Oral health.
- Family health will also be reviewed as this is the last routine contact for many parents/carers; however, you are welcome to contact the Health Visiting team for advice and support at any time until your child is 5. Some families may need additional support if their circumstances require it.
These appointments are usually face to face at a venue, and last up to 45 mins. We use a self booking system and you will be sent information about how to book the appointment.
Extra support available:
Families may also need support or guidance with issues regarding their children’s health and development at specific times. This may include:
- Infant feeding
- Diet
- Routines and boundaries
- Continence
- Sleep
- Speech
- Parenting support
- Mental health
The service provided to each family will vary according to a personalised assessment of their own needs and evidence of what will work for them. If you feel you would benefit from additional support please contact your local duty line to speak to a member of the team.
