05/02/2025
Minister Nesbitt met members of the Health Visiting team and enjoyed interacting with local families. He got to hear in detail about the team’s primary role delivering the Healthy Child Healthy Future to all families and support those who are identified has requiring additional support.
Joyce McKittrick, Lead Nurse Public Health at the Western Trust said:
“In 2019, Health and Well Being 2026: Delivering Together introduced a new model of Multidisciplinary Teams into GP Practices in the Derry GP Federation area to meet our changing population needs with a focus on collaboration, prevention and early intervention.
“This model has transformed Health Visitors’ role in public health and community development, recognising the need for an evidence-based community development approach to meet the health and social care needs of parents and pre-school children
“The programmes, developed and facilitated by the HV teams, focus on Making Life Better’s key public health priorities including supporting maternal and infant mental health, reducing obesity, accident prevention, breastfeeding – to give children the best start in life. They also incorporate Baby Massage, Stay and Play, Rhyme Time, etc. Collaborative working with other statutory and voluntary organisations such as Talking to Your Babies, the Council’s Home Safety Scheme, Parenting NI and Tiny Life among others, to deliver information sessions.
“Co-production was used in the design of the programmes to ensure activities and content met the needs of service-users. The effectiveness of these initiatives can be measured through service user engagement and service-user feedback. This has shown parents have found them welcoming, a safe space where parents and children have the opportunity to develop friendships, learn new knowledge and skills to support their child’s health and development and be connected with a range of other services.
“These innovative Health Visiting Groups have resulted quality public health initiatives which are reducing inequalities in health for children and families and ensuring better health outcomes.”
