Services
Health Visiting Services
Health visitors support families with young children, we work in teams for a local community and will have extensive knowledge of your geographical area and its services.
About this service
Health visitors are registered nurses or midwives with specialist additional qualifications in child, family and public health. Our role is to offer information and support to families through the early years, from pregnancy and birth to primary school.
We can help with:
- infant feeding advice
- behaviour and sleep advice
- toileting advice
- developmental assessments including speech, physiotherapy, hearing and eyesight
- early identification of social and communication difficulties
- infant and maternal/paternal mental health
- provide support with infant relationships, healthy families, diet/weight and exercise
We also provide baby hubs in your area which are drop-in sessions or appointments and provide relaxed settings for families to meet and chat with a member of the health visiting team and other parents and carers for advice and support. They provide an opportunity for you to meet with a member of the Health Visiting team for advice and support.
Contact your nearest HV team
The Health Visiting team is here for you Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm.
Gloucester
Gloucester Central
General Health Visitor enquiries: 0300 421 4667
Location: Bartongate Children’s Centre, GL1 4AW
Gloucester North, East and West
General Health Visitor enquiries: 0300 421 4667
Location: Rikenel
Quedgeley
General Health Visitor enquiries: 0300 421 4667
Location: Quedgeley Clinic
Cheltenham
Gardners Lane
General Health Visitor enquiries: 0300 421 6486
Location: Gardners Lane Children’s Centre
Springbank
General Health Visitor enquiries: 0300 421 6486
Location: Springbank Resource Centre
Oakley
General Health Visitor enquiries: 0300 421 6486
Location: Oakley Resource Centre, GL52 5QH
Forest of Dean
Newent
General Health Visitor enquiries: 0300 421 8192
Location: Holts Health Centre
Lydney
General Health Visitor enquiries: 0300 421 8746
Location: Building next to Lydney Hospital, Stonebury, Grove Road, GL15 5JE
Stroud area
Dursley
General Health Visitor enquiries: 0300 421 8433
Location: Vale Community Hospital
Stonehouse
General Health Visitor enquiries: 0300 421 6710
Location: Stonehouse Health Clinic
Stroud
General Health Visitor enquiries: 0300 421 8967
Location: PHN Stroud Community Clinic, Field Road, GL5 2JB
Tewkesbury area
Tewkesbury
General Health Visitor enquiries: 0300 421 6166
Location: Tewkesbury Community Clinic
Brockworth
General Health Visitor enquiries: 0300 421 7950
Location: Brockworth Children’s Centre, GL3 4JL
Churchdown
General Health Visitor enquiries: 0300 421 8269
Location: Stokes Hay Nurses Base, GL3 1HX
Cotswolds area
Moreton-in-Marsh
General Health Visitor enquiries: 0300 421 6952
Location: North Cotswolds Hospital
Bourton-on-the-Water
General Health Visitor enquiries: 0300 421 6952
Location: George Moore Community Clinic
Cirencester
General Health Visitor enquiries: 0300 421 8922
Location: Cirencester Hospital
Gloucester
Bartongate
General Health Visitor enquiries: 0300 421 4667
Location: Bartongate Children’s Centre, GL1 4AW
Gloucester City and Abbeydale City
General Health Visitor enquiries: 0300 421 4667
Location: Rikenel
Kaleidoscope
General Health Visitor enquiries: 0300 421 4667
Location: Kaleidoscope Children’s Centre, GL1 3DN
Quedgeley
General Health Visitor enquiries: 0300 421 6978
Location: Quedgeley Clinic
Cheltenham
Gardners Lane
General Health Visitor enquiries: 0300 421 6486
Location: Gardners Lane Children’s Centre
Springbank
General Health Visitor enquiries: 0300 421 6486
Location: Springbank Resource Centre
Oakley
General Health Visitor enquiries: 0300 421 6486
Location: Oakley Resource Centre, GL52 5QH
Forest of Dean
Newent
General Health Visitor enquiries: 0300 421 8192
Location: Holts Health Centre
Lydney
General Health Visitor enquiries: 0300 421 8746
Location: Building next to Lydney Hospital, Stonebury, Grove Road, GL15 5JE
Stroud area
Dursley
General Health Visitor enquiries: 0300 421 8433
Location: Vale Community Hospital
Stonehouse
General Health Visitor enquiries: 0300 421 6710
Location: Stonehouse Health Clinic
Stroud
General Health Visitor enquiries: 0300 421 8967
Location: PHN Stroud Community Clinic, Field Road, GL5 2JB
Tewkesbury area
Tewkesbury
General Health Visitor enquiries: 0300 421 6166
Location: Tewkesbury Community Clinic
Brockworth
General Health Visitor enquiries: 0300 421 7950
Location: Brockworth Children’s Centre, GL3 4JL
Churchdown
General Health Visitor enquiries: 0300 421 8269
Location: Stokes Hay Nurses Base, GL3 1HX
Cotswolds area
Moreton-in-Marsh
General Health Visitor enquiries: 0300 421 6952
Location: North Cotswolds Hospital
Bourton-on-the-Water
General Health Visitor enquiries: 0300 421 6952
Location: George Moore Community Clinic
Cirencester
General Health Visitor enquiries: 0300 421 8922
Location: Cirencester Hospital
Your Health Visiting Journey
We’re here for you to provide support throughout your journey from your 28 week+ antenatal contact through to your two year developmental review. If you are new to Gloucestershire we will see you to explain our service and find out how we can help you and your family.
28 week+ Antenatal Contact
Your midwife and health visitor will meet with you to discuss your pregnancy. As well as sharing information about breastfeeding, infant feeding, bed sharing, supporting a smoke-free pregnancy, healthy diet and immunisation advice and mental health support that is available for you and your partner should you need it.
Guidance about pregnancy and babies does change, so it’s important to get up-to-date, trusted advice to help you make the right decisions and choices. Please contact your local Health Visiting team if you would like to talk to or access a health visitor during your pregnancy. We work closely with midwifery services to support your transition to parenthood.
We contact all pregnant women by text message during the 24th week of pregnancy to encourage you to book your midwifery and health visiting service antenatal group sessions.
7 - 14 day New Birth Visit
Your health visitor will come to your home to talk with you and offer support with anything that may be worrying you, including breast/infant feeding, bed sharing, the move to parenthood, your relationship with your child and how to keep your home smoke free. As part of your ‘New Birth Visit’ we will support you to get to know your baby with a New Born Observation (NBO).
6 – 8 week Postnatal Visit
Your health visitor will visit you at your home to listen and offer support with anything that you may wish to discuss. As well as sharing information on breast/infant feeding, mental health and wellbeing, your relationship with your child and your child’s development. When a parent or carer is responsive to a baby’s signals and ‘takes turns’ in communicating with them from birth onwards, babies develop a secure attachment to the carer. A secure attachment ensures a child will feel secure and reassured their needs will be met. This promotes emotional self-regulation and resilience into adulthood.
Positive touch. When you visit a hub, ask your community nursery nurse or health visitor about the benefits of positive touch for both you and your child.
Our Health Visiting team uses the Solihull course to advise parents when managing behaviour and parenting – ask us about the Solihull programme and information if you’d like to know more.
6 month Introduction to solid food
When your baby is 4 months, you will receive a first text message from the Health Visiting team, signposting you to our website where you will find evidence-based information to help you to prepare to introduce solid foods to your baby. When your baby turns 5 months, you will receive a second text message to book onto a virtual or a face-to-face introduction to solid food baby hub. If you have any questions or queries before then please contact your local Health Visiting team.
You will receive an invitation to a group, led by a Community Nursery Nurse, providing information on responsive feeding and a healthy diet for you and your child.
We are offering virtual and face-to-face hubs, providing parents and carers the opportunity to talk to a professional about the Introduction to solid foods.
Make your child’s nine to twelve month and two-year developmental review a priority.
The developmental review is an opportunity to discuss and promote your child’s health and development and to identify children who are not developing as expected and who may need early additional support. Find out more about your child’s developmental milestones.
9 – 12 month Developmental Review
You will be invited to a one-to-one review with a member of the Health Visiting team. Together you will discuss your child’s development and progress, speech and language skills, as well as information on diet and exercise, accident prevention, immunisations and mental health support for you and your family. Information will be shared about local groups or activities available near you.
2 year Developmental Review
You will be invited to a one-to-one review with a member of the Health Visiting team. Together you will discuss your child’s development and progress, speech and language skills, as well as information on diet and exercise, accident prevention, immunisations and mental health support for you and your family. Information will be shared about local groups or activities available near you.
Much like the 9-12 month development review, this is an opportunity to discuss and promote your child’s health and development and to identify children who are not developing as expected and who may need early additional support. Find out more about your child’s developmental milestones.
As part of the review, we will work with parents to complete an Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) about their child’s development. Watch this short video to find out more about the role of the Community Nursery Nurse and what to expect from an Ages and Stages Developmental review.
Referrals to the Gloucestershire Gateway Trust
Sharing your child’s information
You have attended your child’s developmental review today and it has been decided that your child needs support in one or more of the following areas: communication, gross motor skills, fine motor skills, problem solving, personal social.
To help with this, your Health Visitor has referred your child to Gloucestershire Gateway Trust (GGT). They have asked for your consent to share your child’s details with the GGT.
The details we share will be used by the GGT to help them to select the best group to support your child.
What details will be shared?
With your consent, our Health Visiting team will share the following with GGT:
- Your child’s name
- Your contact number or email address
- Your postcode
- More details about your child’s needs.
Access to this information is restricted to those who have a need to know to perform their duties or responsibilities.
How will my child’s details be used?
We are legally required to ensure that all information about your child is kept confidential.
We will only tell other people about your child or their health if we need to or you have agreed to it.
The information will be used by the Gloucestershire Gateway Trust (GGT) to contact you about groups and health, education, and community services which may help you or your child.
How is my information is kept secure?
The security of your child’s details are important to us. We assess and report on our compliance with national data security requirements.
We are legally required to secure the information we hold about your child. This includes:
- We are trained in how to handle information and follow strict guidelines
- Personal information held electronically is encrypted
- We employ professionals to make sure that data is protected.
- We signed up to a data sharing agreement with key partners, including the Aspire Foundation.
GGT staff are also trained in secure data-handling and processing. They will hold your details on their secure system.
They will not share details about you or your child with anyone, unless required by law, or anything needed for safeguarding or service delivery.
What are my child’s rights?
Your child has rights (data rights)
For example:
- You can ask to see the information held on your child’s health record
- You can ask to have information corrected if it is wrong
- You can also object to the use of your information and,
- You can restrict our use of your information.
Requesting your child’s information
Our Data Protection Officer can help you access your child’s information.
Ask your clinician who will pass on your request or email: subjectaccess@ghc.nhs.uk or: familyhubs@ggtrust.org
For more information, visit the Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust Privacy notice or visit the Gloucestershire Gateway Trust Privacy Policy.
Referrals to Family Action
Sharing your child’s information
You have attended your child’s developmental review today and it has been decided that your child needs support in one or more of the following areas: communication, gross motor skills, fine motor skills, problem solving, personal social.
To help with this, your Health Visitor has referred your child to Family Action. They have asked for your consent to share your child’s details with Family Action.
The details we share will be used by Family Action to help them to select the best group to support your child.
What details will be shared?
With your consent, our Health Visiting team will share the following with Family Action:
- Your child’s name
- Your contact number or email address
- Your postcode
- More details about your child’s needs.
Access to this information is restricted to those who have a need to know to perform their duties or responsibilities.
How will my child’s details be used?
We are legally required to ensure that all information about your child is kept confidential.
We will only tell other people about your child or their health if we need to or you have agreed to it.
The information will be used by the Family Action Stroud and Cotswolds Children and Family Centre to contact you about groups and services which may help you or your child.
How is my information is kept secure?
The security of your child’s details is important to us. We assess and report on our compliance with national data security requirements.
We are legally required to secure the information we hold about your child. This includes:
- We are trained in how to handle information and follow strict guidelines
- Personal information held electronically is encrypted
- We employ professionals to make sure that data is protected.
- We signed up to a data sharing agreement with key partners, including Family Action.
Family Action staff are also trained in secure data-handling and processing. They will hold your details on their secure system.
They will not share details about you or your child with anyone, unless required by law, or anything needed for safeguarding or service delivery. Consent will be obtained where required to share information at your request.
What are my child’s rights?
Your child has rights (data rights)
For example:
- You can ask to see the information held on your child’s health record
- You can ask to have information corrected if it is wrong
- You can also object to the use of your information and,
- You can restrict our use of your information.
Requesting your child’s information
Our Data Protection Officer can help you access your child’s information.
Ask your clinician who will pass on your request or email: subjectaccess@ghc.nhs.uk or: dataprotection@family-action.org.uk
For more information, visit: www.ghc.nhs.uk/privacy-notice
For more information, visit the Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust Privacy notice.
For more information on the Data Protection Act and further guidance can be found at the Information Commissioner’s Office.
Referrals to the Aspire Foundation
Sharing your child’s information
You have attended your child’s developmental review today and it has been decided that your child needs support in one or more of the following areas: communication, gross motor skills, fine motor skills, problem solving, personal social.
To help with this, your Health Visitor has referred your child to the Aspire Foundation. They have asked for your consent to share your child’s details with Aspire.
The details we share will be used by Aspire to help them to select the best group to support your child.
What details will be shared?
With your consent, our Health Visiting team will share the following with Aspire:
- Your child’s name
- Your contact number or email address
- Your postcode
- More details about your child’s needs.
Access to this information is restricted to those who have a need to know to perform their duties or responsibilities.
How will my child’s details be used?
We are legally required to ensure that all information about your child is kept confidential.
We will only tell other people about your child or their health if we need to or you have agreed to it.
The information will be used by the Aspire Foundation’s Children and Family Centre to contact you about groups and services which may help you or your child.
How is my information is kept secure?
The security of your child’s details are important to us. We assess and report on our compliance with national data security requirements.
We are legally required to secure the information we hold about your child. This includes:
- We are trained in how to handle information and follow strict guidelines
- Personal information held electronically is encrypted
- We employ professionals to make sure that data is protected.
- We signed up to a data sharing agreement with key partners, including the Aspire Foundation.
Aspire Foundation staff are also trained in secure data-handling and processing. They will hold your details on their secure system.
They will not share details about you or your child with anyone, unless required by law, or anything needed for safeguarding or service delivery. Aspire Foundation are members of the Gloucestershire Information Sharing Partnership Agreement (GISPA).
What are my child’s rights?
Your child has rights (data rights)
For example:
- You can ask to see the information held on your child’s health record
- You can ask to have information corrected if it is wrong
- You can also object to the use of your information and,
- You can restrict our use of your information.
Requesting your child’s information
Our Data Protection Officer can help you access your child’s information.
Ask your clinician who will pass on your request or email: subjectaccess@ghc.nhs.uk or: admin@aspirefoundation.org.uk
For more information, visit our GHC NHS Privacy Notice page.
About appointments
Home Visits
Before your home visit you may find it helpful to make a list of any questions or concerns about yourself or your baby. Please have your child’s red book available and if possible inform your midwife when your health visitor is visiting. Please secure dogs in another room before you open the door.
Video appointments
Video appointments may be offered, using a secure NHS site, alongside face-to-face New Birth and Six Week Contacts, and if requested by parents and carers as an alternative to face to face 9-12 months and 2 year developmental reviews. You can also request a video contact for advice and support relating to yourself or your child. To book a video contact with a member of the Health Visiting team, please phone your local team on the numbers provided. Antenatal groups are being held by Health Visiting for women who are 26 weeks pregnant. You will be sent an SMS inviting you to book into these sessions.
Specialist Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
Health visitors are supported by a specialist team of public health nurses (PHNs) and community nursery nurses (CNNs), who are skilled in working with families and children who may present with specialist educational needs (SEND). They are trained to identify developmental delays and the early detection of health problems which may impact on your child’s development. The overall aim is not only to provide key health messages to improve health outcomes, but to provide early intervention and support for your child and family. If your child’s needs are more complex, your health visitor and PHN can play a key role in bringing together local services that can support your child and family. Our designated clinical officers (DCOs) provide a point of contact for local authorities, schools and colleges, who need advice or support about health for children and young people who have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Find out more about this role, about Gloucestershire’s Graduated Pathway of Early Help and Support, about SEND and the Graduated Pathway.
Friends and Family Test
The Friends and Family Test is an important way for the Health Visiting Service to receive feedback from our service users and their families about their experience. Listening your views helps us identify what is working well and what can be improved.
You may also be contacted by text message or email to seek your views about our services.
Find out more about the NHS Friends and Family Test at www.england.nhs.uk/fft
