We are delighted share a number of updated Good Practice Points and Parent Tips resources:

Good Practice Point – Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy – recognition, diagnosis and clinical care

These Good Practice Points set out what health visitors need to know about the recognition, diagnosis and clinical care of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

 

Good Practice Point – Recognition and Management of Hyperemesis Gravidarum

HG is a serious complication of pregnancy which requires active intervention and treatment. It is diagnosed when symptoms start in early pregnancy (before 16 weeks gestational age); nausea and vomiting is present, at least one of which severe; the ability to eat and drink normally is affected and activities of daily living are strongly limited.

This GPP provides up-to-date evidence and references.

 

Good Practice Point – Umbilical Granuloma

These Good Practice Points set out what health visitors need to know about the Treatment of Umbilical Granuloma.

This GPP provides up-to-date evidence and references.

 

Good Practice Point – Working with prisoners’ families

Every year around 310,000 children experience the imprisonment of a parent in the UK, which is more than the number of children affected by divorce. Prisoners’ partners, children and other family members often feel lonely, stigmatised and unsure where to turn for help, support, advice and information. Health Visitors can play a key role in supporting prisoners’ families, and in helping family members access useful services and sources of advice. These Good Practice Points set out what health visitors need to know about working with Prisoners’ Families.

 

Good Practice Point – Postpartum psychosis

Postpartum psychosis (PP), also known as puerperal psychosis and postnatal psychosis, is a severe illness that involves hallucinations, delusions, mania, severe confusion, or unusual behaviour occurring, often with acute onset, in the postnatal period.

These Good Practice Points set out what health visitors need to know about Postpartum Psychosis.

 

Good Practice Point – Supporting good practice with toilet training

Health visitors have an important role in supporting toilet training for all children and assisting school readiness. Toilet training involves important skills that HVs can promote and discuss with families, regardless of the child’s ability.

 

Parent Tip – Toilet Training

Toilet training is about your child learning a set of skills. Making the transition from nappy to potty, or toilet, can result in a sense of achievement for you both.

 

Parent Tip – Childhood Cancer: spotting the signs & symptoms

Childhood cancer is rare, but it does occur more frequently than most of us think. It may come as a surprise, but cancer is one of the biggest medical causes of death in children in the UK. Statistically, 1 in 450 children are diagnosed with cancer before they reach the age of 15. Every year, there are 4,000 children and young people diagnosed with cancer in the UK. Despite this fact, few of us are aware of the signs and symptoms.

The aim of these Top Tips is to make you aware of what to look for in your child to enable affected children to be diagnosed early. Early diagnosis of childhood cancer saves lives.

 

iHV launches a series of six new Good Practice Points (GPPs) for health visitors on loss, bereavement and supporting families with grief during National Grief Awareness Week (#NGAW20):

GPP – Supporting families experiencing pregnancy loss or the death of an unborn baby

  • This GPP covers miscarriage, ectopic and molar pregnancy, termination of pregnancy for foetal anomaly and multifoetal pregnancy reduction (ToPFA) to align with 2 of the 5 pathways in NBCP. This GPP aims to support informed high quality care once a pregnancy loss has already occurred.

GPP – Supporting families following the death of a baby

  • The death of a baby is one of the most traumatic and distressing experiences and will inevitably bring about immense pain and grief. Health visitors are an important source of ongoing care and skilled support for bereaved parents in the weeks, months and years following this most tragic and traumatic of experiences.  This GPP considers Stillbirth, Neonatal Loss and Sudden Unexplained Death of an Infant (SUDI).

GPP – Supporting families following the death of an infant or child (aged 1 to 4 years)

  • The agony of losing a child of any age is unparalleled. There is no age or point in time that makes it any easier. The death of a child goes against the natural order we expect life to follow. The longing for the child and the feeling of emptiness can last a lifetime. This GPP considers the support families can benefit from when they lose an infant or child and the processes and issues pertinent for families experiencing such loss.

GPP – Supporting young children who have lost a parent

  • The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has estimated that 1% of children are likely to experience the death of their mother before they reach their 16th birthday. In England and Wales it is estimated that, each year, 7000 children will lose their mother before they reach 16-years old. Within this GPP, we consider how to support young children who have lost a parent or primary carer.

GPP – Supporting a parent when their partner dies

  • Losing a partner is devastating at any time in life, however the complexity and additional losses that are felt when you have young children can be especially difficult to endure. This can include losing the father or mother of your child, coping with your children’s grief and the pressures of parenting alone; and, combined with financial insecurity, this can be overwhelming. Within this GPP, we consider how to support a parent who has lost their partner following suicide or death whilst parenting a baby or young infant.

GPP – Supporting parents whose own parent (or early attachment figure) has died

  • Coping with the death of a parent or primary attachment figure is one of the most traumatic and distressing experiences we all face and will inevitably bring about immense pain and grief. Within this GPP, we consider how to support parents who have lost their own parent (or someone with whom they formed their primary attachment relationship with early in life) during the perinatal period and early years as a parent.

Please note that these GPPs are available to iHV members only.

If you’re not a member, please join us to get access to all of our resources.

The iHV is a self-funding charity – we can only be successful in our mission to strengthen health visiting practice if the health visiting profession and its supporters join us on our journey. We rely on our membership to develop new resources for our members.

So do join us now!

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The iHV is delighted to share new Good Practice Points providing up-to-date evidence and references for our members:

NEW: GPP – Signs and symptoms of Varicella (chickenpox) and knowing what to look for

These Good Practice Points, authored by authored by Bridget Halnan, Senior Lecturer in Specialist Community Public Health Nursing and Fellow of the Institute of Health Visiting, and Barbara Potter, RN RHV BSc (Hons) MPH PGCHE FHEA Project Development Manager Institute of Health Visiting, set out what health visitors need to know about the signs and symptoms of Varicella (chickenpox) and what to look for.

Health visitors have a key role in offering advice on the treatment and management of children who have Varicella (chickenpox), as well as identifying vulnerable or at risk groups who may need referral to their GP or a specialist.


Please note that these GPPs are available to iHV members only.

If you’re not a member, please join us to get access to all of our resources.

The iHV is a self-funding charity – we can only be successful in our mission to strengthen health visiting practice if the health visiting profession and its supporters join us on our journey. We rely on our membership to develop new resources for our members.

So do join us now!

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