iHV Leadership Conference: Leading Health Visiting: Creating the future

On Wednesday 3 December 2025, we came together as a health visiting community for the annual iHV Leadership Conference “Leading Health Visiting: Creating the future”. And what an unforgettable day it turned out to be! From start to finish, the atmosphere was filled with warmth and excitement – there is something truly special about gathering as one health visiting family from every corner of the UK.

Held at The King’s Fund in London, our conference brought together a packed room of in-person delegates, speakers, partners, exhibitors and many more delegates joining online.

It was an honour and a privilege to welcome such high profile and eminent speakers to our conference, who all took time out of their busy schedules to join with us and focus on driving change through health visiting. They all shared powerful messages, with a strong focus on relational and compassionate care, the power of ‘really listening’ to families and nurturing our workforce.

Our programme focused on four pillars of leading change:

Getting it right from the start – better services by design
Leading health visiting policy across the UK – with four nations CNO/CMidO panel
Workforce matters
A focus on child development – supporting all children to thrive

The conference was packed with many memorable moments; here are just a few examples (there are too many to mention all of them!):

Alison Morton, iHV CEO, opened our conference with a keynote on leading – “Together in hope and together in action”. Alison spoke about the importance of prioritising people and how we must be a voice for children and push for lasting change – not sticking plasters. Alison thanked health visitors for the great work that is being done in health visiting across the UK – with a message that “the future is here, it’s just not everywhere”, and a call for courageous leadership to learn from the past and build a better future.
Alison Morton, iHV CEO, at iHV Leadership Conference 2025
Dr Clea Harmer, CEO, Sands, spoke about the importance of ending racial inequalities in maternity and neonatal care, sharing very sobering data – “If, in the four years between 2017-2021, stillbirth and neonatal death rates for Black and Asian babies had been the same as for white babies – 1,704 babies would have survived”. Clea compassionately and sensitively explored why these inequalities persist, drawing on insights and learning from bereaved Black and Asian parents through the Sands Listening Project.
Dr Clea Harmer, CEO, Sands, presenting the Sands Listening Project at iHV Leadership Conference 2025

We also heard from Lauren and Toni (iHV parent panel members) who shared powerful testimonies. They recognised that their ‘voice’ as parents mattered – and now they are using it to drive positive change at a national level. They urged health visitors to truly listen to families.
iHV’s Georgina Mayes chats with parents Lauren and Toni
In our second keynote session “Leading health visiting policy across the UK”, we were privileged to be joined by our national leaders, from all four UK nations – with representatives from the Chief Nursing Officers (CNO) and Chief Midwifery Officers (CMidO) presenting updates from their nation. The session concluded with a panel discussion and some powerful questions from delegates, including calling for urgent action to stop ongoing cuts and strengthen health visiting in England.
Chief Nursing Officers (CNO) and Chief Midwifery Officers (CMidO) panel
During our third keynote session, we focused on prioritising “our people” – workforce is key to everything that we do. Amongst the stellar line-up, Sally Hogg, from The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, spoke about the work of The Centre – and how health visitors are the “magic ingredient” to enabling all babies and young children to have the nurturing relationships they need. We also heard from Mary Donnelly – iHV Student Award winner 2025 – who captivated the audience with her excellent presentation on her work to improve care and support for families with no recourse to public funds – a great example of leadership in action!
Sally Hogg, The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, sharing the work of The Centre

Mary Donnelly – iHV Student Award winner 2025
In keynote four, we had some fantastic speakers, including Professor Sam Wass who presented his cutting-edge research on the impact of digital technology on early brain development. Sam is working with the iHV and others to make the science available for families and professionals – in support of this, we plan to make Sam’s presentation available on our website (coming soon!!)
Professor Sam Wass presenting at iHV Leadership 2025
The inspirational Guddi Singh closed our conference by reminding us that justice begins at the doorstep – and health visitors see the true story of child health in this country. Seeing the whole story is a clinical act, that requires a response – and that health is built through relationships as much as through systems.
Dr Guddi Singh presenting at iHV Leadership Conference 2025

You can read full details of the conference programme here.

The feedback we have received so far from our conference is overwhelmingly positive and inspiring, with many delegates sharing what they liked most about our conference:

“All of it. Great range of presentations, and key note speakers. I think possibly the best iHV conference to date!”

“The atmosphere was so welcoming, supportive, and personable from the moment we walked in. I loved the interactive discussions and the enthusiasm for sharing learning across the profession. I left feeling completely inspired by both the speakers, and by the passion and kindness that was so evident in the actions of those from the iHV who were present and organised the conference.”

“I thought the speakers and topics were excellent; covered topics which are applicable to practice which were evidence based and pitched to a level where everyone understood and could come away with advice to offer families.”

“The passion and enthusiasm for our profession and the wellbeing of children. Political views and real-life experience was a great blend.”

“This was the first leadership conference that I had attended. It was very inspiring from the start, all the presentations were thought-provoking and inspiring, and validated the work of the health visiting service.”

We would like to extend a huge heartfelt thank you to all our delegates, inspiring speakers, exhibitors and to Digital Health Transformation Service for their generous support as lead partners of our event – without whom this conference would not have been possible.

If you enjoyed our Leadership conference or would love to attend one of our conferences in the future, please consider joining us on 6 May 2026 for our Evidence-based Practice conference at Bournemouth International Centre. Look out for the launch in January – we would love to see you there!

See some conference photos:

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to showcase your work!

Call for Abstracts: iHV Evidence-Based Practice Conference 2026

We are delighted to invite you to submit an abstract for the iHV Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) Conference 2026, which is taking place on 6 May 2026 at the Bournemouth International Conference Centre.

Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to showcase your work on a national platform. We warmly encourage abstracts from health visitors, health visiting practitioners, researchers, academics and students involved in cutting-edge developments in health visiting practice, innovation and the latest research to address health inequalities and improve health outcomes for babies, children and families.

The iHV EBP Conference “From Evidence to Action: Getting it Right from the Start” reflects the urgent need to address the UK’s worsening child health outcomes and growing health inequalities. With children in the UK now experiencing some of the poorest health outcomes among comparable nations, this conference will shine a spotlight on the vital role of health visitors and health visiting practitioners in tackling health inequalities.

Health visitors across the UK will be leading our profession into the future. We believe in the power of health visiting innovation, research, and evidence-based practices to create a brighter, healthier future for all babies, children and families – and the impact that we have is magnified when we come together and learn from each other.

Don’t delay, submit your abstract today!

What are the benefits of presenting at the iHV conference?

It’s an excellent opportunity for you to:

Showcase your work on a national stage
Highlight innovation within your organisation
Connect with peers across the UK and internationally
Enhance your professional profile and CV
Share your innovation and help shape the future of health visiting.

Top-scoring abstract authors have the chance to present their work as a concurrent session speaker, or even a plenary talk in the main auditorium (you can indicate your preferences – allocation will depend on scoring and topic selection).

What are the presentation opportunities?

Plenary keynote presentations
Oral concurrent presentations
Breakout oral presentations
Poster presentations

Key Dates

Abstract submission deadline: 30 September 2025
Notification of outcome: After an iHV peer-review process, participants will be informed of acceptance of abstracts for either oral keynote/concurrent presentation, or an oral breakout presentation, by 17 October 2025.

For more information and to submit your abstract click here

We look forward to your participation and to welcoming you to Bournemouth for an enriching and inspiring conference event. Why not tie in a little holiday break whilst you are here and enjoy the beautiful coastline of Dorset!

Image by Roman Grac from Pixabay

Any questions, please contact: [email protected]

Call for iHV EBP Conference 2026 abstracts is now open!

Were you inspired by our speakers at our iHV EBP 2025 conference? Next year it could be you!

Our call for iHV Evidence-based Practice (EBP) Conference 2026 abstracts is now open!

Submit your abstract for our iHV Evidence-based Practice 2026 conference “From Evidence to Action: Getting it right from the start” which will be held at Bournemouth International Conference Centre on 6 May 2026.

Babies’ and children’s health and wellbeing have seen a concerning decline in recent years, with children in the UK having some of the worst health outcomes compared to other similar nations. Health inequalities are widening, especially for those living in more deprived neighbourhoods where the poorest babies and children have the worst outcomes.

Early childhood is important as it lays the foundation for lifelong health and, without meaningful intervention now, we are on course for a generation of adults facing serious health challenges. Improving our babies’ and children’s health will take comprehensive effort across all of society.

Innovation, research and new ideas will be critical to driving the change that is needed. And we know that health visiting teams and researchers across the UK are leading the way with so much great work taking place to improve outcomes for babies, children and families.

Join us to celebrate and spread excellence in practice:

Help share your learning with others facing similar challenges
Maximise the impact of your work on a bigger scale
Submit an abstract to present at our EBP conference in 2026

Connect with other local, national, and international experts, who will be sharing their latest developments in practice, innovation, and research to improve the health and wellbeing of babies, children, families and communities.

What are the benefits of presenting at the iHV conference?

It’s an excellent opportunity for you to:

Raise your own profile as a speaker at a UK-wide conference
Raise the profile of your organisation and showcase your work
Connect, collaborate and learn from other practitioners working in the field of health visiting and family public health
Add your experience of presenting to your CV and boost your career

What are the presentation opportunities for accepted abstracts?

A plenary keynote presentation – oral presentation in the main hall (and live-streamed to online delegates), followed by involvement in Q&A panel.
An oral concurrent presentation – oral presentation in one of our concurrent streams, followed by involvement in Q&A panel (note: selected concurrent sessions in the main hall will be live-streamed).
A breakout oral presentation (a 4-minute speed talk) – strictly time-limited presentation delivered in one of our breakout sessions – provides an opportunity to extend the reach of your work, but in a concise form (note: selected breakout oral presentation session in the main hall will be live-streamed).
A poster presentation (for display in the exhibition hall) – posters are a visual display of material and are particularly suited to the presentation of data, project design and findings. Presenters are on hand to facilitate discussion with delegates during the break times.

Abstract timeline:

Submissions: The abstract submission deadline is 30 September 2025
Notifications: After an iHV peer-review process, participants will be informed of the outcome by email on 17 October 2025 – this will include details of the type of presentation that you have been selected for.

Further details on our conference topics and how to submit an abstract can be found here.

We look forward to reading your abstracts and hearing about your practice innovations and research! Any questions – please email [email protected].

Find out more about how to submit your abstract

Bookings now open for iHV Evidence-based Practice Conference 2025

We are delighted to announce that bookings for our iHV Evidence-based Practice (EBP) Conference: ‘Healthier Beginnings’ are now open. We will be returning to King’s House Conference Centre in Manchester on 8 May 2025 – with options to join us in-person, or online, to give you flexibility.

This year’s iHV EBP Conference will showcase the latest health visiting research, evidence, clinical expertise and lived experiences, equipping practitioners with newfound knowledge and skills to ensure that all babies and children have a healthy beginning to their life.

Our vibrant iHV EBP Conference gets bigger every year and has become a health visiting calendar highlight for practitioners looking to deliver excellence in practice and connect with colleagues from across the UK.

The title of this year’s conference, ‘Healthier Beginnings’, is very poignant, especially with the new Government committed to raising the healthiest generation of children ever. The challenges that our babies, children and families face have been laid bare – we are now collectively focused on delivering solutions.

A first step towards achieving change is to start at the beginning…if we are to change the story, we need to change the beginning of the story. And health visitors are in a privileged position to play an important part in this, with practitioners and researchers from across the UK leading the way.

Join the discussions – be part of the solution at iHV EBP conference 2025.

Book your place today!

Speakers

We are delighted to be joined by many inspiring and prestigious speakers, including but not limited to:

Professor Jamie Waterall – Chief Public Health Nurse Office, Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, who will be speaking about building health visiting capacity and capability to deliver change.
Sally Hogg – Early Childhood Associate Director, Programme and Impact, The Royal Foundation Centre, who will be speaking about the Royal Foundation Framework for social and emotional development.
Professor Jayne Brown– Professor of Health Care, Nottingham Trent University, who will be sharing the health visitor delivery of the surviving crying support service for parents.
Michele Lawrence– Head of Safeguarding, Chief Public Health Nurse Office, Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, who will be speaking about improving safeguarding and child protection, including the debate on “smacking”.
Sally Shillaker – Practice Development Lead for Genomics, Institute of Health Visiting, who will be sharing a new era of learning about The Generation Study and its implementation.
Alison Morton– CEO, Institute of Health Visiting, will deliver her keynote presentation titled, “Drive change – do it with the evidence”.
Plus, more to be announced soon!

Top-scoring abstract submissions from health visitors, researchers and leaders in practice will also be featured, with authors presenting their work on a range of public health priorities and health promotion topics. We will be adding their details to our programme soon, once final confirmation is received. Their wide range of interesting presentation topics include:

Perinatal and Infant Mental Health
Child Safety
Infant feeding, Healthy Weight and Nutrition
Strengthening the Health Visiting Workforce
Child Development
Respiratory Health
Health Visiting Service Models
Parenting challenges (focussing on domestic abuse and alcohol misuse)
Quality Improvement in Health Visiting

View the full programme here

Don’t miss our special early bird ticket rates, available until 21 March 2025 – extra discounts and concessions are available for iHV members, iHV corporate members, early booking and group bookings of 5 or more.

Find out more and book your place

Last call for abstract submissions: Don’t miss your final chance!

iHV Evidence-based Practice Conference | Healthier Beginnings | 8 May 2025

The deadline for abstract submissions for our iHV Evidence-based Practice (EBP) Conference 2025 is fast approaching! Don’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity to showcase your work on a national platform.

Submit your abstract here by 7 October 2024.

The annual iHV Evidence-based Practice Conference provides a fantastic opportunity to boost your career and raise the profile of your organisation by presenting your health visiting innovations or research at the largest health visiting conference in the UK.

Who can submit an abstract?

Health visitors leading innovative evidence-driven projects or service delivery models that have improved outcomes for babies, children, and families through strengthened health visiting provision.
Health visiting team members involved in service improvement initiatives that tackle key public health priority areas for babies, children, and families (e.g., oral health, healthy weight and nutrition, infant feeding).
Researchers or academics showcasing cutting-edge developments in health visiting practice, innovation, or research.

Why submit now?

Submitting an abstract is your opportunity to:

Gain national recognition as a speaker at a UK-wide conference.
Raise your profile and that of your organisation.
Network and learn from local, national, and international experts in health visiting and public health.
Boost your career by adding public speaking experience to your CV.

Top-scoring abstract authors have the opportunity to present as:

Oral breakout session speakers
Concurrent session speakers
Or even plenary keynote speakers.

Indicate your preferences in your submission – allocations will be based on scoring and topic.

Don’t miss out on this important event! Submit your abstract and join us in shaping the future of health visiting. For more information on conference themes and submission guidelines, click here.

Any questions? Email us today: [email protected]

Submit your abstract here

An informative, inspirational and moving morning at our iHV 2024 PIMH Conference

We were delighted to welcome over 220 online delegates plus a fabulous line-up of speakers, to our 6^th annual Perinatal and Infant Mental health conference yesterday. The theme ‘Dismantling the barriers: collaborative approaches to perinatal mental health care’ couldn’t have been more apt, following on from Lord Darzi’s report that flagged, among other things, an increased demand in perinatal mental health services and disparities in access and quality of care. ‘Nothing new here,’ you may say. Indeed not. For too long we’ve known not only about the devastating human suffering and economic cost linked to common mental health problems in pregnancy and after birth, but about the disparity in identification and treatment for many, not least black and minority ethnic women, young mothers and those facing domestic abuse, poverty or multiple disadvantages.

We wanted to unpick why the ‘inverse care law’ seems to persist, why those in greatest need continue to have the poorest access to care and to think together about how we could dismantle the barriers of trauma, stigma, discrimination and isolation that can significantly delay or inhibit access to high-quality care.

A packed morning of insightful topics at the iHV 2024 PIMH Virtual Conference

It was an inspirational, at times challenging, and often deeply moving, event that was opened confidently by Jayde Edwards, Young Parent Consultant, with a rallying cry that reaching young parents is possible. Ruth Naughton-Doe of Sheffield University, and Sarah Jeffs, Family Nurse, followed on respectively with the research evidence and case example around approaches to working with young parents.

We then focused on the inequalities in mental health care for Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller Communities with Kirit Sehmbi from the Queen’s Nursing Institute highlighting key touchpoints that can enable healthcare to be accessible from the start. iHV Fellow and former lead nurse for the Cambridgeshire Gypsy Traveller Health Team, Shaynie Larwood-Smith’s passionate advocacy for the often-overlooked needs of this UK ethnic minority community left no-one in doubt that we could be doing better.

‘There are 12 women’s prisons in England. In the year 2022-2023 194 pregnant women were held in prison and 44 women gave birth while being held in custody.’ So began our third session as Birth Companions co-ordinator, Bridget Supple, shone a light on the experiences of care of women in prison and the additional impact many pregnant women and mothers face with contact with children’s social care. Shanice Redwood continued to focus our attention on the devastating impact of child-removal, sharing powerful insights from the Hertfordshire University ‘Lost Mothers’ study and Ann Chadwick, Clinical Lead, shared insights into how her health visiting service has improved experiences for mothers in one of England’s six prison Mother and Baby Units.

Our fourth session focusing on the perinatal mental health needs of Asylum-Seeking Families was beautifully introduced by Kemi Ogunlana, who generously wove in details of her own story whilst highlighting the key role experts by lived experience play if research is to be truly co-produced. The inspiring work of the Happy Baby Community was shared by Jill Miller, demonstrating the impact that grassroots organisations can make, whilst Lisa Gordon showcased her Specialist Health Visitor role and personal observations on what can really make a difference.

Sian Drinkwater with her lived experience guests rounded off our event, sharing progress on the wonderful toolkit produced earlier this year by the Maternal Mental Health Alliance that helps practitioners to amplify ‘seldom-heard voices’ and shape perinatal mental health care at local levels.

Early feedback from delegates indicates how necessary it is to come together, to think together and to find solutions to improve outcomes for families together.

“What a fantastic half day I’ve had. The speakers were passionate, inspirational and generous in sharing their research and experience. The facilitation was professional, warm and welcoming. Thank you for another great PIMH event”

“Thanks very much for an excellent conference, again great topics, excellent speakers. Lots to go away with and apply to practice, service development etc.”

“Always rely on the excellent and professional content from iHV”

“This has been such an informative and moving conference hearing the experiences of the most marginalised mothers close to our heart and work as well as the great work going on to dismantle the barriers to support. Thanks to all the presenters #IHVPIMH2024 #MMHA “

“Found it very useful and extremely relevant. Lots for me to take back to our local PIMH networks to work on moving forwards.”

Our sincere thanks to all our speakers for so generously sharing their expert experience and knowledge and to all our delegates for joining us.

Join us at our next conference, Leadership 2024 ‘Change for the better’ on 4 December – see more details and book your place here

See more upcoming iHV events here.

See our upcoming programme of ‘iHV Spotlight Learn’ virtual workshops here.

Bookings now open for iHV Leadership Conference 2024!

We are delighted to launch bookings for our annual iHV Leadership Conference ‘Change for the better: Leading towards a fairer and equitable future‘. This year’s flagship conference will be held on Wednesday 4 December 2024 at De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms, Holborn, London.

The vibrant iHV Leadership Conference has become the highlight of the year for many – bringing together health visitors, health visiting leaders, policymakers, academics and partners from all four nations of the UK, all united in a shared vision to drive meaningful change for babies, children, families and communities through excellence in health visiting.

Be inspired – connect – learn! Lead health visiting into the future…
This conference will provide delegates with an opportunity to explore leadership in action, using examples from practice, research and policy to achieve fair and equitable health provision for all. It also provides an invaluable opportunity to connect with colleagues and leaders from across the UK to share ideas and innovations, stimulate learning and make new connections. Delegates tell us that they leave feeling re-energised and better equipped to lead health visiting into the future.

We have a fantastic line up of high profile and inspirational speakers all focused on equipping us to lead change for the better – the programme is organised around four key themes:

Leading change, improving health equity: Health disparities persist across the UK, and the need for equitable healthcare has never been more pressing. Learn from leading experts in their field and discover actionable strategies that you can implement in your practice, with keynote speakers:

Professor Dame Lesley Regan – Women’s Health Ambassador for England and Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Professor Charlotte McArdle – Deputy Chief Nursing Office for England and author of “Nurses for Health Equity: Guidelines for Tackling the Social Determinants of Health”
Rosamund Adoo Kissi Debrah – Founder Ella Roberta Family Foundation

Leading health visiting policy across the UK: We are delighted to be joined by a 4-nations’ CNO panel discussing their strategies for health visiting in the UK, and the importance of leadership to strengthen prevention, population health and health equity:

Duncan Burton – Chief Nursing Officer | England
Karen Jewell – Chief Midwifery Officer | Wales
Anne Armstrong – Chief Nursing Officers Directorate | Scottish Government
Maria McIlgorm – Chief Nursing Officer | Northern Ireland

Leading through research and evidence-based practice: Engage with cutting-edge research that is shaping the future of health visiting. Keynote speakers include:

Dr Christine O’Farrelly – Senior Research Associate at PEDAL – Health visitor “Healthy Start Happy Start”
Hull Health Visiting team – Leading change through evidence-driven health visiting service model
Speaker TBC – The importance of health visiting research

Lead Change, Shape the Future: Focused on leading and equipping the health visiting workforce. Explore the tools, strategies, and mindset needed to lead with impact. Keynote speakers include:

Acosia Nyanin – Deputy Chief Nursing Officer for England – Professional and System Leadership
Dr Karen Whittaker – iHV Education and Workforce Lead – Education project and maturity matrix
Amanda Holland – iHV Professional Services Lead – Preceptorship and workforce retention

Spaces are limited, and demand is high for this popular conference, so early booking is recommended.

Options:

Join us in-person in London:
More and more people are telling us how much they value the opportunity to meet together in-person. London in December offers a unique setting for our conference, with an air of celebration as lights adorn the streets, creating a festive atmosphere unlike any other. This special occasion not only provides an opportunity to engage with thought-provoking discussions and insightful sessions, but also to reconnect with colleagues and build lasting relationships.

Don’t just take our word for it – here is what previous conference delegates said:

“This was probably one of the most inspiring conferences I’ve been to. Such incredible work driven by passionate professionals. My head was buzzing of ideas after I left and still is”

“Wow – Very strong speakers. Wonderful how new innovative practices and policies are shared and to hear it so eloquently from a parent’s perspective too”

Unable to join in person – join online: Thanks to our partnership with Inclusive Digital, a leading digital production company with expertise in online conferences, we have refined the art of online conferences and offer a fabulous experience to online delegates:

“An opportunity to attend virtually was invaluable. I feel I have had the benefits of going – renewed motivation, reminder of why we do this etc – without the long journey and the expense of staying in accommodation”

“The online option is a great inclusion and I really appreciate the opportunity to join…thank you”

“It was an amazing day, even attending virtually I felt part of the room.”

Whether you join us in the heart of London or from the comfort of your home, you can expect a truly enriching and connected experience.

Click here to view the full programme

Click here for ticket options and booking details

Extra discounts and concessions are available for iHV members, early booking and group bookings. Our Early Bird offer ends on 31 October 2024.

iHV EBP Conference 2025 | Healthier Beginnings: Calling all health visiting team members for abstracts!

Are you a health visiting team member contributing to a health visitor-led service improvement initiative, which is aimed at improving outcomes for babies, children and families? (for example, oral health, healthy weight and nutrition, infant feeding)
Are you a health visitor with innovative ideas and successful initiatives that have made a difference in the lives of children and families?
Are you a researcher or academic with examples of cutting-edge developments in health visiting practice, innovation or research?

Then don’t delay – submit your abstract today to join us at iHV Evidence-based Practice Conference 2025 “Healthier Beginnings”. It will be held at King’s House Conference Centre in Manchester on Thursday 8 May 2025.

Healthier Beginnings

Call for Abstracts

With a new government and changes in nurse leadership across many UK nations, we are entering a transformative era for child and family health in the UK. Change brings opportunity, and health visitors across the UK are poised to lead our profession into the future. We believe in the power of innovation, research, and evidence-based practices in health visiting to create a brighter, healthier future for all babies, children, and families. Our impact is amplified when we unite and learn from one another.

Join us on our conference platform in 2025

Connect with local, national, and international experts and speakers to share your developments in health visiting practice, innovation, and the latest research aimed at addressing health inequalities and improving health outcomes for babies, children, and families. Be a part of this important event and help shape the future of health visiting.

Why submit an abstract?

Top-scoring abstract authors have the chance to present their work as an oral breakout session speaker, a concurrent session speaker, or even a plenary keynote speaker. You can indicate your preferences in your submission and allocation of presenter sessions will depend on scoring and topic selection.

The benefits of presenting include:

Recognition: Raise your own profile as a speaker at a UK-wide conference
Showcase your work and raise the profile of your organisation
Networking and learning: Connect, collaborate and learn from other practitioners working in the field of health visiting and family public health
Boost your career: Add your experience of presenting to your curriculum vitae (CV)

Important dates:

Submission deadline: 7 October 2024.
Notification of acceptance: After an iHV peer-review process, participants will be informed of acceptance of abstracts for either oral keynote/concurrent presentation, or an oral breakout presentation, by 24 October 2024.
Conference Date: Thursday 8 May 2025. Successful entrants will receive a special 25% discount on their conference ticket. If your organisation is paying for your ticket, please ensure you have their approval prior to submitting your abstract.

Click here for further details and how to submit your abstract

We look forward to reading your abstracts and hearing about your practice innovations and research!
Any questions – please email [email protected].

Open access to ‘UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) Pertussis Update’

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) recently presented a national update on Pertussis at the iHV Evidence-based Practice Conference on 3 July 2024. With UKHSA’s permission, we have now made the recording of this session ‘open access’ so it can be shared and viewed more widely with health visitors and health visiting team members across the UK.

UKHSA is calling on frontline clinicians to promote the uptake of the pertussis vaccine. Pregnant women should receive a pertussis-containing vaccination between 20- and 32-weeks’ gestation and with every pregnancy. Health visitors have a crucial role in discussing vaccinations with pregnant women and promoting vaccine uptake.

Watch the recording of the UKHSA Pertussis Update at iHV Evidence-based Practice Conference here.

In her presentation, Dr Helen Campbell (Lead Clinical Scientist at the UKHSA Immunisation team) highlights the clinical features of pertussis:

It is a bacterial infection affecting the lungs
Initial symptoms resemble a cold, such as a runny nose and sore throat
After about a week, severe coughing bouts can develop, typically worse at night (known as the 100-day cough)
Young babies may make a distinctive ‘whoop’ sound or have difficulty breathing after coughing.

Helen shared a very powerful video which shows a young baby who is experiencing a long bout of coughing and whooping: https://youtu.be/S3oZrMGDMMw (WARNING: this video may be upsetting for some viewers).

New data published by UKHSA show a concerning increase in Pertussis cases:

May 2024: 2,591 confirmed cases
April 2024: 2,106 confirmed cases
March 2024: 1,427 confirmed cases
February 2024: 920 confirmed cases
January 2024: 555 confirmed cases

This brings the total number of cases from January to May 2024 to 7,599.

Sadly, there have been 9 infant deaths since the current outbreak began in November last year with one death in December 2023 and eight deaths between January and May 2024.

Young babies are at the highest risk of severe complications and death from pertussis. Evidence from England shows that vaccination at the right time in pregnancy is highly effective, giving 92% protection against infant death. However, the latest uptake data for the vaccination offered to pregnant women shows a decline:

March 2024: 58.9% coverage
March 2017: Peak coverage of 72.6%

Timely vaccination during pregnancy and in childhood is crucial to protect vulnerable and young babies from serious diseases. Babies should receive three doses of the 6-in-1 vaccine at 8, 12, and 16 weeks, followed by a pre-school booster. Health visitors have a vital role in:

recommending pertussis vaccination
checking vaccine status
providing guidance on where and when to obtain vaccinations
addressing any queries parents or caregivers may have.

For further information and to access UKHSA resources on Pertussis, click here.

UKHSA has recently published a powerful new blog post by Jenny, a parent who shares her terrifying experience of her three week old daughter, Layla and her struggle with pertussis.

Call for iHV EBP 2025 abstracts now open!

Healthier Beginnings

Call for Abstracts

Want to be part of our fantastic conference next year?

Call for abstracts for iHV Evidence-based Practice Conference 2025 is now open!

Submit your abstract for our iHV Evidence-based Practice conference “Healthier Beginnings” which will be held at King’s House Conference Centre in Manchester on Thursday 8 May 2025.

With a new government and changes in nurse leadership across many UK nations, we are entering a new era for child and family health in the UK. With change, there is also opportunity – and as a profession, health visitors across the UK will be leading our profession into the future. We believe in the power of health visiting innovation, research, and evidence-based practices to create a brighter, healthier future for all babies, children and families – and the impact that we have is magnified when we come together and learn from each other.

Be part of our conference platform in 2025 – join local, national, and international experts and speakers and share your cutting-edge developments in health visiting practice, innovation and the latest research to address health inequalities and improve health outcomes for babies, children and families.

What are the benefits of presenting at the iHV conference?

It’s an excellent opportunity for you to:

Raise your own profile as a speaker at a UK-wide conference
Raise the profile of your organisation and showcase your work
Connect, collaborate and learn from other practitioners working in the field of health visiting and family public health
Add your experience of presenting to your CV and boost your career

What are the presentation opportunities?

A short oral breakout session presentation
An oral concurrent presentation
A plenary keynote presentation

Abstract timeline:

Submissions: The abstract submission deadline is 7 October 2024.
Notifications: After an iHV peer-review process, participants will be informed of acceptance of abstracts for either oral keynote/concurrent presentation, or an oral breakout presentation, by 24 October 2024.

For further details and how to submit

We look forward to reading your abstracts and hearing about your practice innovations and research! Any questions – please email [email protected].