About Health Visitors

Baby holding wooden block — Health Visitor

Your Health Visitor helps you to learn about being a parent, and supports you to raise a healthy, happy child. Health Visitors work closely with midwives, practice nurses and GPs. Your Health Visitor is a qualified nurse or midwife who has gone on to do further training.

Contact Details for Health Visitors

Will I have access to a Health Visitor?

Every family with children under five years of age has a named Health Visitor.

Health Visitors are qualified, registered nurses with specialist knowledge of community health, child health and health promotion and education.

If you're pregnant you may already have had contact with your local health visiting team.

After your baby is born

After your baby is born, your Health Visitor is a key contact for any worries or concerns you may have.

They will usually visit you in your home in the days following the birth and will update your 'red book' (the key record of your baby's early health and development), with important information about your baby's weight gain and general health.

They will also advise on mum's wellbeing too, so if there is anything that's worrying you, from post C-section healing to your mental state of mind, don't hesitate to share your concerns with them.

Their role extends to supporting the health and wellbeing of the whole family though, so if you need support with your partner or other family members then they can help you too.

Following on from home visits, you'll be encouraged to remain in contact with your health visiting team at a weighing-in clinic, where your baby is weighed and you'll have the opportunity to talk to a Health Visitor about any concerns about your child's development, from breastfeeding issues to starting weaning.

Clinics like these are usually held at a set time each week, and may take place at your doctor's surgery, community health clinic or another local centre, such as a church hall or SureStart Centre.

What kind of things can my Health Visitor advise on?

Health Visitors have a wide range of knowledge on all things baby and child-related, and are there to support the whole family, so can advise on issues such as:

Baby's and children's growth and development
Conditions, allergies and infections
Breastfeeding, bottle feeding and weaning
Postnatal depression and mum's and dad's mental and physical health
Behaviour issues - sleeping, eating, potty training, tantrums etc
Support with parenting
Family planning
Family health and relationships
Teething
More serious health concerns
Health promotion
Community health and development

Even if your problem isn't something a Health Visitor is qualified to advise on, they work in close partnership with other local healthcare providers and can offer referrals and make appointments with GPs, hospitals and specialist clinics. So don't hesitate to speak to them about anything that's bothering you.

How Do I contact a Health Visitor ?

The Health Visiting category on this site contains contact details of Health Visitors throughout Northern Ireland.

Breastfeeding Support Groups

Input ‘Breastfeeding’ at keyword search;

Results for Keyword 'Breastfeeding'

These search results are for all of Northern Ireland. You can select your area using the options on the left of the screen. Or you can filter these search results by inputting your (full) postcode in the search ribbon - indicate within 1/5/10 miles.