Health Visitors

Health Visiting Services Southend-on-Sea

Health Visitors aim to promote the health and well-being of families with children under the age of five.

They encourage healthy lifestyles, support families with addressing concerns about physical and mental wellbeing, as well as readdressing health inequalities.

Health visitors are currently based in the Civic Centre and Children's Centre’s alongside the School Nursing Team. All health visitors are registered Nurses and or Midwives with an additional qualification in Specialist Community Public Health Nurse (SCPHN).

The service aims to work in partnership with families and with other local providers of services for children and families. In addition, Health Visiting teams link with the School Nursing Service once the child enters school.

Health visitors lead on the National Healthy Child Programme (birth to five years) see our healthy child programme and universally offer health reviews and support to families at home or in a community venue.

Child health walk in clinics 2023

The Healthy Child Programme

Health visitors lead the delivery of the Healthy Child Programme, which provides five points of contact for all families, these are as follows:

Antenatal visit

From 28 weeks in pregnancy, this visit provides an opportunity for building a relationship with you and your family before the baby arrives.

New birth visit

This visit usually takes place when the baby is between 10 and 14 days old. The aim is to support and develop skills and confidence in new parents by sharing information on family and child health issues.

We will continue to work with you to build a trusting relationship and continue the assessment of your family’s health and wellbeing. We will share relevant information and assess your baby’s progress, responding to any concerns you may have.

Six to eight week health visitor visit

This appointment continues to develop the parent/health visitor relationship, allowing for an open and honest exchange of information. A good relationship enables parents’ new skills and confidence to be acknowledged and appreciated by the health visitor. We will ask questions aimed at developing parental awareness of postnatal depression and anxiety.

Under one physical and developmental review

This review assessment will be offered by the Health Visiting Team and is often undertaken by a community nursery nurse. The review may be held at home or in a clinic.

Two and a half years, physical and developmental review

This review assessment is often undertaken by a community nursery nurse between the ages of two and two and a half. At this review, parents are invited to complete an assessment form with their child. This review may be held at home, in a clinic or in a nursery setting.

Child health clinics

Child health clinics are held in most areas in central points in the community (usually children’s centres, health centres and GP surgeries). These clinics are open to all families. Your health visitor will provide details of days, times and venues find out more on the family centres webpages.

Additional support: For most of us, bringing up children is the most important job we will ever do. It is very rewarding and often challenging.

Health visitors are here to help when families need additional support. This is not something that all parents will need.

We work individually with families, using a plan of care that we develop together to give all children the best possible start in life. As part of the plan, families and health visitors may work closely with other professionals, including midwives, GPs, hospital staff, children’s centres services and social care.

Health Visitors for Homeless Families

For those families that find themselves homeless in Southend the Specialist Health Visitors will be able to offer you support and advise you about other local agencies that may be able to help you further.

You can contact them on 01702 534911 or speak to your hostel manager for details.

Breastfeeding Specialist Support

Sensitive, non-judgmental support is available to help mothers get breastfeeding off to a good start and enable them to continue to breastfeed in the long-term if they wish. Contact your health visitor to book a visit with our Specialist health visitor if you require an appointment. Advice can be given during the appointment to help prevent and treat physical problems, and to build confidence.

Working hours

The Southend Health Visiting Team can be contacted Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm, excluding bank holidays. Our telephone number is 01702 534911 and email MSEICB-S.Southend0-19PublicHealthServiceAdmin@nhs.net

They offer a wide range of free advice and support, including:

• Breastfeeding support and infant feeding
• Introduction to solid foods for your baby - First Steps Nutrition Trust and Start 4 Life weaning
• coping with a crying baby
• Safer sleep for your baby
• Parenting advice and support with behaviour management
• Maternal emotional wellbeing and mental health support and we can refer to specialist services.
• monitoring and assessing child development and growth, and speech and language development
• EPUT speech and language team
• Family planning information
• Immunisation advice
• Common illness management
• A parents guide
• Sick Child - When to seek help
• Safety and accident prevention
• Soothing a sick child
• Support with disabilities and special needs
• Supporting healthy eating
• Safeguarding children
• General health advice and referral to appropriate services
• A Better Start Southend
• Car Safety (child seats)
• Advice about potty training, bedwetting etc
• Fatherhood Institute
• speech and development 
• weaning support
• Healthy start
• Little Steps

Parents will have their first contact with their Health Visitor during pregnancy. After birth, a health visitor will contact the family to make an appointment to visit them within 14 days of birth notification.

Families with children under five will also have contact with their health visiting team on moving into the area.

We can make this information available in Braille, large print, audio or other languages. We can also provide interpreters for languages or signing at your appointment. Please contact us to find out more.

We hope you have had a good experience of our service, if you have any comments or compliments please send them to us using our online form. If you have any complaints these can also be sent to us by using our online form.

Contact details:

Southend Health Visiting Service
0 to 19 Service
Department for People
Civic Centre
Victoria Avenue
Southend-on-Sea