This book looks very informative – thanks

Would be great if we had a national policy supporting local policy on HV assessment at the NBV for the baby. Would also be good if this was taught in both practice and included in a module at university.

I’m asking this because my Trust are saying that if mum has to cancel the offered 10 – 14 day visit and the named HV (who already knows the family and/or has done antenatal visit) cannot do it until day 15/16, then someone/anyone else MUST go and do the visit instead. I am protesting strongly because this visit is so important in terms of building/establishing your long-term trusting relationship. My concerns have been thoroughly dismissed; the box must be ticked by 14 days, sod the “relationship”. (If someone is on leave and cannot do their primary in reasonable time, someone else does have to do it BUT my colleagues and I always do the visit earlier than 10 days with a follow up when back from leave, or something like that, whenever possible, because we feel the relationship building is the most important thing.) The Healthy Child Programme says “around 14 days” on one page, and “by 14 days” on another, but no-where can I find out WHY.

Picking up on one of your points, in 2005 when I did my doctoral survey 30 or 31% of health visitors were midwives. That entry gate from midwifery was then closed by the NMC in 2007 only to be opened again in 2010 or 11 to increase health visitor numbers! Interesting what influences policy. I can’t remember when the requirement to have some form of midwifery to enter health visiting, at least the 3 month certificate, was dropped but it was there for many years – personally I think it was bonkers to drop it as its so useful.

Sarah Cowley has just tweeted: that she thought it stemmed from when new Mums were kept in hospital for 10 days.

I’ve just looked on the HV evidence hub and couldn’t find anything on constipation. We will have to put it on when we’ve best EBP!

Yes Wendy our red books have a safe sleeping assessment but is for the midwives to complete, unfortunately though not all are completed. Actually we are having more and more red books not being completed by midwives which makes it hard for us to know what has and hasn’t been completed.
Our records ask about fontanelles, eyes, mouth, nappies, cord, skin, hips and movement of limbs etc.

http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/constipation/Pages/Treatment.aspx This recommends increasing water in infants who are not yet on solids…

I haven’t found any evidence for or against sugar water and fruit juice yet but found these NICE guidelines on constipation in Children. http://cks.nice.org.uk/constipation-in-children#!scenario

Hello Leah
It’s funny you should say that as we have just moved to RIO electronic record keeping and the newborn assessment form includes a lot of questions on the head to toe examination. Although doesn’t cover things like palmar creases and talipes. As an aside have your Red Books changed to include safe sleeping assessments?