Service overview
Our Health Visiting teams are led by Health Visitors (nurses and midwives with specialist public health qualifications) with support from community staff nurses, community nursery nurses, and administrators.
We support families with children aged 0 to 5 as part of the Healthy Child Programme. This is a national programme that gives every family support through screening tests, developmental reviews, immunisations, and parenting advice.
We also work with GPs, paediatricians, midwives, schools, community groups, and charities to help families access the support they need.
All families are eligible to receive the programme, and the support is tailored to your needs. We support families living in Bracknell Forest, Wokingham, Reading, and West Berkshire.
Accessing our service
All families can access our service and there's no need for a referral. We find out about a pregnancy or a new baby from our partner services and then we’ll get in touch.
Our support is available from pregnancy until your child turns five, and there's many different ways to get help. You can text us using our confidential ChatHealth service, come along to a well baby clinic in your local area, or book an appointment if you need more focused support.
We run clinics in your local area. We’re mainly based in children’s centres, family hubs, or community spaces like as village halls.
We have a set schedule for these clinics, but if you need help outside of opening times, you can contact us via ChatHealth. In some cases, we can also offer appointments in one of our appointment-only clinics.
Preparing for an assessment
We offer a range of health and wellbeing developmental reviews in line with the Healthy Child programme.
We’ll let you know the date and time of your appointment and send you a text reminder. If you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment, please let us know as soon as possible.
To help you get the most out of your appointment, you might find it useful to write down any questions or concerns you have about your baby or child. There’s space in your child’s Personal Child Health Record (PCHR), or red book, where you can note these down. Please bring the red book with you to all appointments and well-baby clinic sessions.
If your child has their developmental reviews coming up, please complete the questionnaires that were sent along with your appointment letter. It's worth completing them just before your appointment date as children develop so quickly.
You can also use them to note any concerns or questions about your child’s health or development.
Managing your baby's health and your own
About the two year development review
Safe baby wearing
Best Start in Life
Brings together trusted information and support from pregnancy through your child’s early years and beyond.
The Breastfeeding Network
The Breastfeeding Network (BfN) aims to be an independent source of support and information for breastfeeding women and others.
CBeebies Parenting (Tiny Happy People)
Is a free BBC initiative that helps parents and carers support their child’s language and communication skills from birth to age four.
Child Accident Prevention Trust
Is dedicated to creating a safer world for all children, with a focus on preventing death and serious injury from avoidable accidents.
ERIC
ERIC is a national charity that helps improve children’s bowel and bladder health. Their mission is to ease the impact of continence problems on children and their families.
First Steps Nutrition Trust
First Steps Nutrition Trust is an independent charity that provides practical nutrition advice for families and health professionals, from pregnancy to age five.
The Lullaby Trust
Gives families a safer start to life and create a supportive space for anyone whose baby or infant has died suddenly or unexpectedly.
Mind
Mind is a mental health charity that provides information, support and advice to people with mental health problems. They have a range of resources for postnatal, antenatal or perinatal mental health problems.
Your e-Health Passport
Your e-Health Passport lets us know what's important to you - from your preferred name and pronouns to how you'd like us to support you and communicate with you.
Learn moreContact us and FAQs
ChatHealth
If you need some advice, you can text a school nurse. It's private and confidential. You might want to talk about things like relationships, healthy eating, drugs and alcohol, anxiety, stress, bullying, self-harm, body changes, sleep, or anything else that’s worrying you.
If you're a parent or carer of children and you're worried about any of these things, you can text us too. We’re here to support you.
Frequently asked questions
Who can use the Health Visiting service?
All families are welcome to access our service, there’s no need for a referral. Our support is available from pregnancy until your child turns five.
How can professionals access support?
If you're a professional working with a family, you can access support by contacting the local team in your area.
Bracknell
Phone: 0300 365 6000
Opening hours: Monday to Friday 9am to 4.30pm
Wokingham
Phone: 0300 365 7000
Opening hours: Monday to Friday 9am to 2pm
Reading
Phone: 0118 904 7100
Opening hours: Monday to Friday 9am to 4.30pm
West Berkshire
Phone: 0300 303 3944
Opening hours: Monday to Friday 9am to 4.30pm
We can also help you with
Is there any information for friends, family and carers?
If you’re a family member/carer or you look after someone, there’s practical, financial, and emotional support available to you from a range of local communities and national organisations.
How do I request an interpreter?
We can provide language translation and interpretation support whenever you visit or contact us.
Tell our staff which language you prefer to use, and we will make sure the right communication support is in place for your assessment and treatment. Please let us know as early as possible so we can ensure the appropriate translation or interpreting support is available.
We offer a range of professional services to ensure everyone can understand and be understood:
- telephone interpreting
- video remote interpreting (VRI)
- face‑to‑face interpreting
- written translation
- British Sign Language (BSL) interpreting
How can I get information in an accessible format?
Anyone with a disability, impairment, or sensory loss has the right to receive information in a format that meets their needs. Under the Accessible Information Standard (AIS)—a legal requirement for all health and adult social care providers—we must ensure that people who use our services, including carers and families, can understand the information we provide and communicate effectively with us.
We can offer information in a range of accessible formats, including:
- British Sign Language (BSL)
- large print
- braille
- audio
- easy Read
- text message
- face‑to‑face support with a carer or advocate present
If you need information in any of these formats, please tell a member of our team and we will make sure your communication needs are met.
Are service dogs allowed to my appointment?
Yes. You are welcome to bring your registered service animal, such as a guide dog, hearing dog, medical alert dog, or other trained assistance dog to your appointment.
These animals are recognised as essential support and are permitted in most areas of our services.
To help us prepare, please let the team know before your appointment if you will be attending with a service animal. This allows us to make sure the environment is safe and comfortable for you, your animal, and other patients.
Please note that service animals may not be able to enter certain restricted clinical areas for safety or infection‑control reasons, but we will always work with you to find an appropriate alternative.
Treating our team with respect.
Respect is important.
We will be polite and kind and we expect that you treat our staff in the same way.
Abuse, hate and discrimination against our staff is unacceptable.
We will take strong action against anyone who is verbally, racially, physically, or sexually abusive to them.
This includes contacting the police to prosecute, and stopping future access to our healthcare services.
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Provide service feedback: Have your sayRelated services
Specialist Dietetic Service for children and young people
Assessments, monitoring, and tailored dietary plans for under-18s who receive enteral nutrition at home or in community settings.
Specialist Dietetic Service for children and young people: Go to serviceContinence Service for children and young people
Support for under-18s with bladder or bowel problems, such as delayed toilet training, daytime wetting, and chronic constipation.
Continence Service for children and young people: Go to serviceImmunisation Service for children and young people
Routine immunisations delivered in schools and community settings to children and young people aged 4 to 18.
Immunisation Service for children and young people: Go to serviceSchool Nursing Service
Nurses with specialist public health qualifications who support children at state, free, and academy schools, or home schooled.
School Nursing Service: Go to serviceTalking Therapies
A free and confidential service offering effective treatment for common mental health problems such as low mood, stress or worry.
Talking Therapies: Go to serviceExternal support
The Health Visiting Service is available to children, young people and their families who live in Bracknell Forest, Wokingham, Reading, and West Berkshire.
If you live in Slough or Windsor and Maidenhead, you will need to contact the following services: