One of the biggest challenges facing the health visiting profession is that many people do not know who health visitors are, or what their role entails.
Across the four nations of the UK, there are also significant differences between the health visiting services offered in each nation – this is driven by different levels of prioritisation and investment by their respective governments. To support investment in health visiting in all nations, it is therefore imperative that the work of health visitors is made visible, and the benefits of an effective health visiting service are promoted. As a result, this infrastructure of support that health visitors provide is vulnerable to service cuts.
Infographics
In our aim to make the work of the health visitor more visible, we launched new infographics:
- “Who are health visitors and what do they do?” – this infographic sets out the breadth of the health visitor’s role, providing a vital infrastructure of support for babies, children and families. When sufficiently resourced, the health visiting service provides an important part of the solution for multiple cross-government department priorities for health, education and social care.
- “Scotland: Who are health visitors and what do they do?” – this adapted infographic relates to Scottish health visiting practice and enables Scottish health visitors to articulate the complexity of their role to families and professionals.
- “Wales: Who are health visitors and what do they do?” – this adapted infographic in Welsh supports health visiting practice across Wales and enables Welsh health visitors to articulate the complexity of their role to families and professionals. Also available in English here.
- “Northern Ireland: Who are health visitors and what do they do?“- this adapted infographic relates to Northern Ireland health visiting practice and enables Northern Ireland health visitors to articulate the complexity of their role to families and professionals.
- “Isle of Man: Who are health visitors and what do they do?” – this adapted infographic supports Manx health visiting practice and enable Manx health visitors to articulate the complexity of their role to families and professionals.
- “It’s time to invest in health visiting because…” – this infographic was developed specifically for England as part of the Institute of Health Visiting’s submission for the autumn Spending Review in 2021 and the #TurnOffTheTaps campaign calling for investment in health visiting.
Download and use these infographics to shine a spotlight on the work of health visitors locally and nationally – click on the infographic images below or use the document download links:
iHV Infographic – Who are health visitors and what do they do?
iHV Infographic – It’s time to invest in health visiting because…
iHV Films
View iHV Film – Health visiting in your community – December 2022
- A short film which showcases the breadth of health visitors’ work and their critical role in supporting the health and wellbeing of thousands and thousands of families every week.
- Please do share this film widely – you have our permission to include the links in your local resources.
View iHV Film – Voices from practice – December 2022
- Alongside our main film, ‘Health visiting in your community’, the iHV also produced a shorter film ‘Voices from practice’. In this 2½ minute film, some of the health visitor ‘stars’ from our main film above share a bit more about why they chose to become a health visitor and what the role means to them.
- Please do share this film widely – you have our permission to include the links in your local resources.
Watch our short film – Health Visitors: for every family
The Institute of Health Visiting (iHV), working together with parents and Solent NHS Trust, is delighted to share a short film to highlight the value and breadth of the role of the health visitor in relation to family mental health and wellbeing outcomes. The film is relevant for health visitors across the UK, and you can use it to promote the work that you do – so please do use and share it.
Produced as part of the Interreg 2Seas PATH project, the film raises the profile of the universal UK health visiting programme, where every family has access to a highly skilled and well-trained health visitor. It showcases the unique opportunity and skills that health visitors have to build relationships and the support that health visitors can offer where additional concerns about parental mental health or the parent-infant relationship are identified.
Created to appeal to parents, health and social care practitioners, government policymakers and commissioners, the film offers insights into a ‘day in the life’ of a UK health visitor, demonstrating the impact of open, trusting relationships and highlighting the importance of continuity of health visitor in building a sense of partnership with parents and families.
