Health Visiting - Portsmouth

Health Visitors see parents and children from before birth until five years. We will see you during your pregnancy and on a regular basis until your child starts school. For some families we will see you more regularly if you need more support. For further information please visit the Healthier Together Website.

Referral criteria

All children aged 0 - 16 receive the universal service from either the Health Visitor or School Nurse. Packages of care are delivered following assessment of the child's health needs.

To discuss the needs of a child aged 0 - 5 please contact 0300 123 6629

To discuss a school aged child please contact 0300 123 6629

All referrals should be made through contacting the services.

Health Professional?

Full service description

The Health Visiting (HV) service is the lead agency for the delivery of the Healthy Child Programme (HCP) team for children and their families registered with a Portsmouth GP. It provides a universal, targeted and specialist health service to children under 5 years (up to 19 years for children with disabilities) and their families, focusing on early intervention, prevention and health promotion. The School Nursing Service provides a universal and enhanced service to children aged 5 - 16 years of age delivering the healthy child programme to children registered with a Portsmouth GP.

The aims of the service are:

Achieve the best health and well-being outcomes for all children through a programme of screening, immunisations, health and development reviews, health promotion and parenting guidance tailored to individual risks and protective factors
To connect with parents and young people's motivation to protect and care for themselves and their child.
To safeguard and promote the welfare of children and ensure a timely response to concerns of child maltreatment in line with statutory guidance.
To take positive action and focus services so that the outcomes of disadvantaged or at risk children and families are not compromised by poor early experiences and environment and to reduce problems and service costs in the short and long term
To follow a public health model based on prevention and early intervention
To offer the universal healthy child programme based on health promotion.
To provide a needs-led service, free from discrimination on any grounds
To provide a prompt, high quality, cohesive, accessible and comprehensive service, to all eligible children and their families
To reduce the impact of disease and physical illness on children.
To ensure that safeguarding underpins all aspects of service delivery so that children are enabled to feel and be safe, and to say when they feel unsafe
To provide services which support the child/young person, and their families, to achieve their full potential
To value, respect and treat all children, and their families, with dignity and respect
To involve children and their families, in all aspects of their treatment and care
To involve service users, and their families, in the planning, provision and audit of all Health Visiting and School Nursing Services
To contribute to the Healthy Weight Strategy for Portsmouth through specific healthy weight activities.
To deliver the HPV programme.
To deliver the national child measuring programme.