New iHV resources on food allergies

The iHV is delighted to share new Good Practice Points and Parent Tips information on food allergies, providing up-to-date evidence and references:

Good Practice Points – An Introduction to Food Allergies

(available to iHV members only)

Health visitors are likely to see many different manifestations of allergy such as eczema, asthma, hay fever and gastrointestinal disturbances, and should be aware of these conditions to question whether allergy could be a cause of the symptoms.

These Good Practice Points, authored by Sue Clarke RGN, DN, BSc (Hons) SPPH, RHV, FiHV, Health Visitor, Lecturer in Allergy, Virgincare West Essex, and Jackie Gaventa BA (Hons) RGN, SCPHN, Health Visitor, Practice Teacher, FiHV, Whittington Health Trust, set out what health visitors need to know about food allergies and when the symptoms can be managed in primary care or when referral to a specialist is needed.

Go to GPP - An introduction to Food Allergies (iHV members only)

New Parent Tips – Managing Food Allergies in children under 5 years

Allergies are more likely to develop if there’s a history of eczema, asthma, hayfever or food allergies in your family. Breastfeeding your baby exclusively for the first 6 months will help to lower their risk.

These parent top tips bring together a collection of evidence-based tips that new parents can put into practice today. Please share with your parents.

Go to PT - Managing Food Allergies in children under 5 years

Please note that 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!

New iHV resources to support families and children after traumatic events

The Institute of Health Visiting (iHV) is delighted to announce the publication of new resources to help health visitors support families and children after traumatic events – such as car accidents, violence, illnesses and operations and also large-scale incidents such as those recently at Grenfell Tower and the terrorist attack at Manchester Arena. Developed together with the Mental Health Foundation, the new Good Practice Points provide evidence-based information for health visitors to help them to support families after a traumatic event, and the new Parent Tips provides information to parents to help them to support their children after such an event.

Traumatic events can be defined as direct or indirect experiences that put either a person or someone close to them at risk of serious harm or death. Examples of traumatic events are: road accidents; experiencing or witnessing violence; abuse; serious illnesses or invasive medical procedures; dog bites; human accidents such as fires. More rare traumatic events include: natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, serious floods or hurricanes; a terrorist attack; conditions of war.

Children will react in different ways to a traumatic event and how they react may also depend slightly on their age and where they are at in their development. However, whatever their age, they are likely to experience a range of changes in their thinking, emotions, behaviour and physical responses. For most children, these symptoms will go away on their own after a few weeks. However, for 10-30% of children who have experienced a traumatic event, they go on to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) which can have adverse long-term effects on child development and adjustment.

Dr Cheryll Adams CBE, executive director of the Institute of Health Visiting, commented:

“With more than two thirds of children experiencing at least one traumatic event by the time they are 16 years old, we need to be able to provide good support to them and their families. Through mandated contacts with families, health visitors build good trusted relationships with all families and are, therefore, well placed to provide guidance and support at these difficult times. We very much hope that this new guidance will help both families and health visitors manage these enormously challenging circumstances with more knowledge of what will help.”

Dr Camilla Rosan, who was the lead author on the resources, and Clinical Psychologist at the Mental Health Foundation said:

“Experiencing a frightening event can understandably really shake up a family and it can be hard to know what to do for the best. Many families find it particularly challenging to know how to support younger children and infants who might not be able to clearly let you know, or even be aware, how the traumatic event might have affected them. We hope that these materials will help reassure professionals and families that changes are completely normal and, for most children, will not continue beyond a few weeks. However, for those that do not get better on their own, it reaffirms the importance of seeking professional mental health support and accessing evidence-based treatments.”

Download new Good Practice Points for Health Visitors: Supporting families following a traumatic event

Download new Parent Tips: Supporting children and young people after a traumatic event

Updated GPP – recognising and managing oral thrush

We are delighted to share updated Good Practice Points on Recognising and managing oral thrush.

They have been updated to reflect recent prescribing changes. They set out what health visitors need to know on who may be affected by oral thrush, recognising the signs and symptoms, and the treatment options to support families.

They outline some practical measures along with up-to-date evidence and references.

Download GPP - Recognising and managing oral thrush

Please note that this GPP is available to iHV members only.

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

So do join us now!

New iHV resources to help reduce Domestic Slavery in the UK

The Institute of Health Visiting (iHV) announces the publication of new Good Practice Points and a new e-learning module aimed at helping health visitors to spot the signs of an individual in Domestic Slavery (DS) and what to do about it, in support of the Government campaign “Spot the Signs”.

‘Image from Have you Heard? campaign against domestic slavery’

Domestic Slavery is the most hidden form of exploitation in the UK. The Home Office estimates that there were 10,000 – 13,000 potential victims of modern slavery in the UK in 2013. Domestic Slavery refers to the practice of exploiting and exercising undue control over another to coerce them into performing services of a domestic nature in unacceptable conditions (Home Office (2016)). All forms of modern slavery are illegal in the UK under the Modern Slavery Act, which makes it a criminal offence to restrict the freedom of another person and require that person to perform forced or compulsory labour (Modern Slavery Act (2015)).

With home visits as part of their responsibility, health visitors are well-placed to see what goes on behind closed doors and spot the signs of someone living in domestic slavery. Many victims are not permitted to leave the house or speak to others, so the health visitor may be the only person from the outside world that the victim has contact with, and probably their only means of escape.

Dr Cheryll Adams CBE, executive director, iHV, said:

“The scale of domestic slavery is significant and the impact on the lives of the victims is huge. Health visitors can help by recognising the signs that someone is in Domestic Slavery, and then reaching out and encouraging them to come forward to report their situation using the Modern Slavery Helpline. We are delighted to develop these vital new resources with the Government to provide health visitors with the information and evidence they need to spot the signs of an individual in Domestic Slavery to reduce, and ultimately stop, this shocking abuse.”

Download GPP - Spotting the signs of an individual in Domestic Slavery

Go to new e-learning: Domestic Slavery and how to spot the signs

New GPP – Advocating the use of Vitamin D

We are delighted to share these new Good Practice Points on the use of Vitamin D. Health visitors have a central role to play in increasing Vitamin D uptake.

These Good Practice Points, authored by Sara Patience, Registered Health Visitor, Registered Nutritionist, set out what health visitors need to know on advocating the use of Vitamin D.

They outline some evidence and guidance on the use and importance of Vitamin D, along with up-to-date evidence and references.

Go to GPP - Advocating the use of Vitamin D

Please note that this GPP is available to iHV members only.

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

So do join us now!

New GPP – Working with victims and survivors of Forced Marriage

We are delighted to share these new Good Practice Points on Working with victims and survivors of Forced Marriage.

GPP – Forced Marriage

These Good Practice Points, authored by Asma Ashraf, Research Nurse, Research Department of Infection and Population Health, University College London, support health visitors working with parents and children who may be at risk of, or have experienced a forced marriage. Forced marriage is a safeguarding issue and should be treated as a serious problem which can cause major harm to individuals.

Go to GPP - Working with victims and survivors of Forced Marriage

Please note that this GPP is available to iHV members only.

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

So do join us now!

New GPP – Working with migrant families

The iHV is delighted to share new Good Practice Points on Working with migrant families for our Associate members.

These Good Practice Points, co-authored by Dr Louise Condon, Associate Professor, College of Human and Health Sciences, Swansea University, and Jeanette Ford, Specialist Practitioner, Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub, Redbridge, London, set out what health visitors need to know about working with migrant families.

They outline the difficulties that they may experience living in the UK as a migrant family and the health behaviours which impact upon child health. This GPP shows how health visitors can support migrant parents to maintain a healthy lifestyle and to access health services.

Go to GPP - Working with migrant families

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

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

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New GPP – Reducing the risk of developmental dysplasia of the hip

The iHV is delighted to share new Good Practice Points on Reducing the risk of developmental dysplasia of the hip for our Associate members.

These Good Practice Points, co-authored by Karen Afford, FiHV, Professional/Education Lead, Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust, and Elaine McInnes, FiHV, Project Development Manager, Institute of Health Visiting, sets out what health visitors need to know about reducing the risk of developmental dysplasia of the hip.

Developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) refers to a range of developmental hip disorders. They range from a hip that is mildly dysplastic, concentrically located and stable to one that is severely dysplastic and dislocated.

DDH has replaced the term Congenital Dislocation of the Hip (CDH). The reason for this change in terminology is that it became clear that dislocation of the hip is a dynamic process and can occur during the antenatal, perinatal and early months after birth.

Go to GPP - Reducing the risk of developmental dysplasia of the hip

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

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

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New and Updated Good Practice Points

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

NEW: GPP – Postnatal Psychosis

These Good Practice Points, authored by Dr Judy Shakespeare, retired GP, Royal College of General
Practitioners Clinical Champion in perinatal mental health, set out what health visitors need to know about Postnatal Psychosis. They provide up-to-date evidence and references.

GPP - Postnatal Psychosis

UPDATED: GPP – Understanding Mothers’ Mental Health & Wellbeing

UPDATED: GPP – Understanding Fathers’ Mental Health & Wellbeing

These Good Practice Points, authored by Sharin Baldwin, Health Visiting Clinical Academic Lead, London North West Healthcare NHS Trust, set out what health visitors need to know about Understanding both Mothers’ & Fathers’ Mental Health & Wellbeing during their transition to parenthood. They provide up-to-date evidence and references.

Updated October 2016.

Understanding Mothers’ & Fathers’ Mental Health & Wellbeing

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.

So do join us now!

New and updated resources

The iHV is delighted to share new Good Practice Points and an update to another GPP, providing up-to-date evidence and references for our Associate members:

NEW: GPP – When a parent dies

These Good Practice Points, authored by Suzannah Phillips, Clinical Services Development Lead, Winston’s Wish – The Charity for Bereaved Children, set out what health visitors need to know about when a parent dies.

Go to GPP - When a parent dies

UPDATED: GPP – Promoting Independent Sleep Associations

These updated Good Practice Points, authored by Maggie Fisher, RGN, NDN, RHV, Cert Ed, BA (Hons) Ed., PG Diploma Infant and Child Mental Health, PG Diploma in Leadership in Social Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship in Practice, set out what health visitors need to know on playing the key role in preventing sleep issues occurring and to support families.

Go to GPP - Promoting Independent Sleep Associations

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.

So do join us now!