Laura, when I was first health visiting we had to have offered the birth visit by day 14, even though we generally undertook nearly all of them by then, it gave us wriggle room. I’m wondering if some subtle word change slipped in without the consequences being considered because it’s now stated in the National Service Specification that a face to face full birth visit must be completed by day 14. It would be worth finding out what is written in the Service Specification for your Trust / what the Commissioners have set out – as the day 14 deadline is probably linked to targets / payment by results. Managers have to be careful that no HV nor the organisation as a whole is left vulnerable because people have worked outside of the Service Specification. The only way I can think the situation you describe might be overcome would be for the named HV to have a detailed phone call and explain the situation, a colleague to undertake the birth visit and the named HV undertake a detailed follow up visit…