Health Visitors are registered nurses or midwives with a specialist qualification in public health. They work with families who have children between the ages of 0 and five.
Lewisham Health Visiting services are provided by Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust. Our Health Visitors work in five teams across the Lewisham borough.
From 1st April 2023 your Health Visiting teams will be allocated based on where you live, rather than the GP surgery you are registered with.
Your HV team may change. If this is the case, then your HV team will notify you.
This will not change any of the services we offer to you, but may mean a change in the person that delivers the care,
If you would like to contact the HV teams please contact our admin hub on 0203 049 1873
There are five key stages in your child’s development when you will be contacted by your health visitor. These appointments will be in a mixture of locations, some contacts at home, clinic, or a virtual appointment using Attend Anywhere.
Each health visiting team runs a child health clinic, which you can attend with your under five’s for advice, support and weighing. You do need to make an appointment to attend the child health clinics to ensure covid safety. Please call your HV team to book in. These are held in a variety of venues including GP practices and children’s centres.
Throughout your journey with your health visiting team you will have contact with:
Some of our health visitors have undergone further training to become specialist practice teachers. This means they help to educate student health visitors. You will be informed if a student health visitor is joining the visit.
Safeguarding children is an integral part of a health visitor’s role and we work closely with our colleagues from children’s social care, GP practices and voluntary services in order to support families.
If English is not your first language, or if your hearing or vision is compromised, your health visitor has access to a pre-arranged interpreting service.
The Institute of Health Visiting have created a infographic detailing who Health Visitors are and what they do: