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Health Visiting

A universal service to families if they have a child under five. The Health Visiting Service provides a home visiting and community-based service to support children and families in promoting health and well-being in line with the Healthy Child Programme. It is a prevention and intervention service available to all families which provides advice, support and guidance in caring for children 0-5 years of age, in order to enable children to achieve optimum health and well-being.

Health Visitors are available to advise and support families with issues such as: • Breastfeeding, weaning and healthy eating
• Children’s growth and development
• Emotional health and wellbeing including postnatal depression
• Behaviour difficulties, sleeping, eating, potty training, temper tantrums and teething
• Safety in the home
• Minor illness
• Immunisations
• Domestic violence, addressing conflicts within the family and giving information and support
• Information and signposting to local support networks.

We deliver key health and development reviews for vulnerable families, in line with the Healthy Child Programme schedule.

We work with families to identify infants’ and children’s needs.

We develop and put in place programmes of care for children and their families who need additional support in a range of ways including follow up home visits, clinic appointments, and telephone contact.

We provide a named health visitor for each GP practice. We ensure that children remain on the health visiting caseload until they reach five years of age or start school, or change their family doctor (GP) to a non-Camden GP or move out of the London Borough of Camden.

We monitor safeguarding concerns for children under five and work with the Child Safeguarding Support Team to monitor and support families with a safeguarding plan.

Contact details

Contact Name
Jonathan Freedman
Contact Position
Service Manager
E-mail
j.freedman@nhs.net
Website
Camden Health Visiting Service 

Address

Activity location
Gospel Oak Health Centre: 5 Lismore Circus NW5 4QF Hunter Street Health Centre: 8 Hunter Street WC1N 1BN Belsize Priory Health Centre: 208 Belsize Road NW6 4DX
Address
Gospel Oak Health Centre
5
Lismore Circus
London
Postcode
NW5 4QF

Further details

Ward
Gospel Oak Ward
Last checked date
03/12/2015
Record ID
40037

Local Offer

About Local Offer
Local Offer Age Bands
Children under 5
SEN Provision Type
Targeted
Universal
Where is the service located and what areas does it cover?

We work across the whole of Camden and the services are based in three health centres listed below. Gospel Oak Hunter St. and Belsize Priory

Who does your service provide for?

Health Visiting is a universal service, which means that every child or family living in Camden or registered with a Camden GP has access to a Health Visitor, if they have a child under five.

How can a child or young person start using the service?

A baby, child or family can be referred to our service by the parents or by a professional working with the family, for example GP, midwife, social worker, children’s centre worker. There are no waiting lists or charges for our service.

How are decisions made about eligibility for your service?

All families with children under 5 years old are eligible for support from our service.

How do you communicate with service users and how are they involved in decision making/planning?

Information is available from the http://www.cnwl.nhs.uk/services/community-health/ and from leaflets in new birth pack to support early stages of life. The service has access to face-to- face interpreting and language-line. We run annual patient surveys to gather feedback about our service. Outcomes of all health reviews and assessments are discussed at the time of the appointment and goals etc. are recorded in Parental Child Health Record (Red Book) We discuss breastfeeding, weaning and parenting support that is available through Camden Children’s Centres.

Is your service fully accessible?

Our service is fully accessible.

What training have the staff supporting children and young people with SEND had/or will be they be getting?

Our staff have taken part in study days around developmental delay and identifying and supporting communication difficulties. Health Visitors also have a link with the Specialist Health Visitor in MOSAIC, the Integrated Service for Disabled Children, where there is a specialist Feeding Clinic and Sleep service.

Who should a service user contact if they want to raise a concern or complain about something?

Any service user who would like to raise a concern or complain about something should contact: Jonathan Freedman Service Line Manager Tel: 0203 317 3327 Email: j.freedman@nhs.net

Who can a parent carer/young person contact for further information?

A parent carer or young person can get in touch with us through: Camden Health Visiting Central Duty Desk Telephone: 0203 317 3032 Email: camden.dutyhv@nhs.net General Information: http://www.nhs.uk/Tools/Pages/birthtofive.aspx Gospel Oak Health Centre: 5 Lismore Circus NW5 4QF Telephone: 020 3317 5825 Hunter Street Health Centre: 8 Hunter Street WC1N 1BN Telephone: 020 3317 2373 Belsize Priory Health Centre: 208 Belsize Road NW6 4DX Telephone: 020 3317 5727

The Local Offer is a free and impartial service provided by Camden Local Authority. Any service or provider mentioned in this Local Offer, does not represent a recommendation or endorsement of the service or quality of the service provided. You are responsible for undertaking your own checks to determine suitability of the service and provider.

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