Growing Healthy 0-19 Northumberland

Welcome to Growing Healthy 0-19 services in Northumberland

Health Visiting

Our health visitors work with parents and carers to ensure that children have the best start in life and are able to achieve their full potential.

Every family with children under five has a named health visitor who offers support and encouragement through the early years from pregnancy and birth, to primary school and beyond to support you to stay healthy and avoid illness.

We provide a wide-ranging service to children and their families and we can also refer you to other services to support you with more specialist problems.

When you become pregnant you will have a named health visitor assigned to you and you will receive a home visit before your baby is born.

You can expect support and information about:

Family health and wellbeing including support for mothers with postnatal depression
Infant feeding with special knowledge of breast feeding
Parenting
A child’s growth and development – including advice for a child who is either underweight or overweight
Common childhood infections/illnesses and immunisation
Common skin problems
Language development and early learning guidance
Behavioural difficulties including sleeping, eating, potty training, temper tantrums
Healthy eating, play, safety and exercise
Accident prevention
Acting as key worker for young children with disabilities
Local child health clinics, support groups and parenting groups where you can meet other parents.
Supporting your child to get ready for school

The Team

Health visitors work with midwives, GPs, Sure Start children’s centres and local community and voluntary services.

We also work jointly with other groups, including schools, children’s services and children’s charities, to safeguard and promote the welfare of children so they are protected from significant harm.

School Nursing Service

School nurses (sometimes known as public health school nurses) promote and protect the physical health and emotional wellbeing of children and young people who are school age.

We work in partnership with other agencies to ensure children and young people grow up to be healthy, make the right choices about their health and to safeguard their welfare so they are protected from significant harm.

You can expect support and information on:

Healthy eating
Immunisations
Emotional health issues such as anxiety, stress or depression
Behavioural problems
Child growth and development
Continence (bed wetting)
Sexual health
Parenting support
Smoking and substance misuse

Every local authority school or academy has their own school nurse. Many of the high schools also have a drop-in school nurse service.

However you don’t have to wait until your school nurse is in your school to see them. We can visit you at home or invite you to see us at another location to suit you.

We are based around Northumberland and provide appointments between 8.30am – 6pm in schools, GP surgeries and health centres.

Preparing for adulthood

If a young person between 14 to 18 years has complex and on-going physical health needs, we will work with you, your family, and services involved in your care such as doctors, specialist nurses to consider what support you might need in adulthood. This information is documented in your health transition summary care plan and a hospital passport which includes key information about your care. Young people who are 14 and over with a learning disability are entitled to a free yearly health check with your GP. We will write to you when you are due a health check.

In confidence

When you talk to your school nurse you talk ‘in confidence’ which this means the school nurse will not talk about what you have said to other people or to your school. However, if the school nurse is concerned about your safety, for example, if you say something that makes your school nurse think that you or someone else is in danger, the school nurse will have to tell somebody else. The school nurse will talk to you if they need to do this.

Useful Links

Start for life -NHS advice and help during pregnancy, birth and parenthood

Healthy start vouchers scheme – find out if you’re entitled to free vouchers for milk, plain fresh and frozen fruit and vegetables, and infant formula milk. You can also get free vitamins.

Contact Us

You can contact the Northumberland 0-19 service by contacting our single point of contact number 03003732488. Our admin staff will direct your call to the most appropriate person to deal with your enquiry. You may be asked to leave a message on an answer machine.