Health visiting service

We provide community health visiting services to all families in Lambeth and Southwark who have children under the age of five years old. 

Health visitors are registered nurses or midwives with a specialist qualification in public health who help to give every baby the best start in life. They provide extra support for families who may need it, build on families’ strengths and connect them to the right support in Lambeth and Southwark.

What to expect

There are several key stages in your child’s life when the health visiting service will contact you for an appointment: 

  • before your baby is born (antenatal visit) 
  • new birth visit (between 10 and 14 days after the birth of your baby) 
  • six to eight week visit 
  • when your child is between eight and 12 months old  
  • when your child is between two and two-and-a-half years old. 

Health visitors offer a range of services both at home and in child health clinics. They provide health promotion advice on immunisation, breastfeeding, healthy weight gain, introducing solid foods, parenting skills, vitamin D supplements, safe sleeping, parental health and wellbeing, home safety and accident prevention. 

Through your journey with our health visiting team you may come into contact with health visitors, community staff nurses, child development workers, health visiting support and development workers and senior nursing assistants. Our staff will see you in your home, at a children's centre, health centre or GP practice. 

The health visiting service has an integral role in safeguarding children. We work in partnership with GPs and other healthcare professionals, social workers, children’s centre staff and voluntary agencies to support families with children under five. 

As we are part of a teaching hospital, students supervised by qualified staff might be involved in your care. We will let you know beforehand if a student will be present at your appointment. Please tell us if you do not want them to be present or involved. We will always respect your wishes. 

Within our health visiting service, we have teams that deliver additional support for families these are the complex needs health visiting team, the health visiting support and development team and the early intervention health visiting team. 

Our teams

 

Learn more about health visitors in a film by the Institute of Health Visiting

Watch an inspiring film by the Institute of Health Visiting about the impact of health visitors and the breadth of their work. Hear from families with a wide variety of needs about how care and support from their health visitors has made an incredible difference.

Learn more about health visitors from our Patron, HRH The Princess of Wales

Watch a film created by our Patron, highlighting the vital role of health visitors. Our fabulous health visitors provide critical services to families in Lambeth and Southwark at a crucial time in their lives.

 

Contact 

Lambeth health visiting service
Tel: 020 3049 5300  
Email: gst-tr.spahealthvisitingservicelambeth@nhs.net 

Southwark health visiting service
Tel: 020 3049 8166 
Email: gst-tr.spahealthvisitingservicesouthwark@nhs.net