Health Visitors

A Health Visitor is a specialist public health nurse who typically works with families with children under the age of 5 years. Health Visitors are trained nurses with additional professional qualifications.

Every family in the UK has a named health visitor allocated to them upon (and sometimes prior to) the birth of their baby. Health visitors work in partnership with families in order to promote health and prevent illnesses. They lead and deliver the national Healthy Child Programme (HCP) for the under 5s, in collaboration with other agencies. These include a whole range of activities such health reviews, parenting support, nutrition and breastfeeding support, child health clinics, to name a few.

Health visitors usually work in skill-mix teams, which may also include community staff nurses, nursery nurses and other support staff. Families can access support in a variety of settings to suit their needs. These include home visits, clinics, at their GP practice and in children’s centres.

To find out more about the work of health visitors or how to become a health visitor, see: NHS National Careers Service