150 years of health visiting – better health for generations of families
Health visitors can trace the start of their profession back to 1862. For 150 years, health visitors have worked to make sure that children have a positive start in life and families with new babies get the support they need.
1862 - 1912
Home visitors’, the early name for health visitors who would visit local communities to improve environmental and public health.- Home visitors are a ‘mother’s friend,’ taking a non–judgmental, practical approach to tackling the causes of ill health including sanitation and diet.
- In the 1890s, Florence Nightingale established the first training course in health visiting.
1912 - 1922
Birth Acts of 1909 – 1915 marks the beginning of a state–sponsored profession.- Health visitors help families focus on personal, preventive measures such as family planning and early immunisation.
1922 - 1932
A home visit in the first month of an infant’s life becomes a statutory requirement for all mothers under the Local Government Act 1929.1932 - 1942
1940, British Ministry of Health proposed the introduction of mass childhood diphtheria immunisation.- Advice offered to mothers to improve their diet by, for example, drinking national dried milk and orange juice.
- Health visitors and Infant Welfare Clinics were set up offering mothers sewing circles and cookery sessions to reduce family isolation.
1942 - 1952
1948, the NHS is launched. The health visiting service is contained in the first NHS Act with a clear focus on infection control and promoting a healthy diet.1952 - 1962
1955, the polio vaccination is introduced in the UK- 1956, health visitor work extends to providing social and emotional health as well as physical health for the whole family, cradle to grave.
Health visitor support extends to families with chronic disease and children with special needs. 1962 - 1972
Health visitor role firmly grounded in public health encompassing environmental, preventative and therapeutic interventions.Promotion of pertussis vaccination for whooping cough.1982 - 1992
The ‘Back to Sleep’ cot death awareness campaign is led by health visitors, who reduce the risk of cot death through interventions such as regular weighing.
- Claire SpeightFantastic look back at history.2012-09-16T09:26:00.941Z
