Health visitors are all qualified nurses who have gone on to do another year specialising in child development and health promotion. They will be able to advise you on all aspects of development and health promotion until your child is 5 years old. Many of them also have additional qualifications in a range of fields, such as midwifery and children's nursing.

In short, health visitors in Kingston are essential to improving the health of the population.

Working along side the health visitor, are community staff nurses and community nursery nurses. Community staff nurses are all qualified nurses and many have extra experience of looking after children, for example in hospitals. Community nursery nurses are experienced in child development and health promotion, including child safety. The teams are well supported by administration staff, who may answer your call and take a message if the teams are out visiting.

Once you have had your baby and the community midwife has discharged you, your health visitor or community staff nurse will contact you, to arrange a suitable time to come and visit you and your baby at home, or another setting, such as a children’s centre.

This will be an opportunity to discuss any concerns you or other family members may have around feeding, settling etc. Your health professional will then advise you on when to attend the clinic for advice on yours and your baby’s progress and well-being, or when to be seen again. You will be given information on all the services in the area to support you, such as those in children’s centres and breast feeding support services.

If your GP or midwife has any concerns during your pregnancy, then a member of the health visiting team may contact you. If you would like to meet a member of the health visiting team during your pregnancy please contact your GP surgery.

Our health visitors work throughout the community. Based in health centres and GP Practices they work in teams, which include nursery nurses and community staff nurses, developing services to meet the health needs of the community.

Nursery nurses are managed by health visitors. They may assist with clinic sessions, facilitate groups and get involved in health promotion activities as well as working on an individual basis in the home or clinic setting.

The role of the community staff nurse in health visiting is to work within a team under the supervision of a health visitor to meet the public health agenda.

We have health visitors leading our child safeguarding service, post natal depression counselling service, and groups supporting mothers with children with behavioural or sleeping problems. They can also signpost people to psychosexual counselling and stop smoking services.

Our infant feeding support team help and support mothers with breast feeding if they are experiencing problems. They are present at the breast feeding drop-in sessions, and will also visit at home. They can be contacted via the child's health visitor.

Health visitors and their teams also participate in immunisation programmes, child health clinics and child health surveillance. They will promote health through formal and informal health education to individuals and groups, thereby educating the child, parents and carers in the promotion of health and the prevention of ill health.

Contact your Health Visitor

If at any time during your child’s first five years, you have concerns around behaviour, development, feeding or anything that is causing you anxiety, then please contact your health visiting team. Their number can be found in your Red Book, by contacting your GP surgery, or by calling Your Healthcare on 020 8339 8000.

You may be asked for your GP details so you can be directed to the correct health visiting team. If families have GPs who are not in Kingston, they will be allocated to the team covering the area of Kingston that they live in.   

Our health visitor services are mainly based at:

Hollyfield House
22 Hollyfield Road
Surbiton     KT5 9AL

Services include clinics, developmental checks and check-ups.

Please report to reception upon arrival.

Parking

You may park on the surrounding residential streets, but please give yourself time to park and walk back to Hollyfield Road for your appointment.