Have your say on plans to change support for pre-school families

Residents are encouraged to have their say in a consultation on plans to change the way pre-school families are supported in Derbyshire.

Derbyshire County Council and Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust (DCHS) are jointly running the consultation on proposals to transform health visiting services.

In Derbyshire, the service is commissioned by the county council as part of the 0 – 19 Public Health Nursing Service and is delivered by DCHS.

The consultation – which runs until 29th September – is the second phase of a review looking at how services could be delivered more effectively to ensure they remain sustainable and finite resources are targeted at families who need the most support.

Members of the public are encouraged to give their views about six proposals to change the way health visiting services are delivered. They can do this by filling in an online questionnaire at Proposed changes to health visiting services - Derbyshire County Council

Papers copies of the questionnaire are also available on request by emailing asch.publichealth.commissioning @ derbyshire.gov.uk

A series of drop-in events are being held for anyone to go along and provide feedback on the proposals.  A session in Ilkeston will be held at the Library just off the Market Place on Wednesday 18th September from 10:00am to 12noon.

Two online events will be held via Microsoft Teams for anyone to attend on Tuesday 17th September 2024 from 1pm to 2pm and Thursday 26th September 2024 from 4pm to 5pm

To book a place email asch.publichealth.commissioning @ derbyshire.gov.uk to receive an email link to attend.

The six proposals which have been jointly developed by staff from DCHS and Derbyshire County Council are:

• Community nursery nurses supporting health visitors to deliver universal face-to-face reviews for children when they reach two-and-a-half years old. Under this proposal, health visitors who currently carry out these checks would continue to support vulnerable families identified as needing the most support
• Community nursery nurses would continue to offer face-to-face reviews to children from three-and-a-half years to school age where they are identified as having developmental or health concerns. All other families would receive information about virtual support available
• Stop delivering discretionary face-to-face reviews to children at three-and-a-half years old. The health visiting service would continue to support families of children where there are developmental or health concerns.
• All expectant parents will continue to be offered an antenatal review with a health visitor but this could be a face-to-face appointment at home or a virtual appointment where appropriate to meet the needs of the family.
• First-time parents and families identified as needing extra support would continue to be offered an antenatal review at home with a health visitor. All other families who have had a previous child would not routinely be offered an antenatal review but could request a virtual appointment with a health visitor
• Community nursery nurses supporting health visitors to deliver universal face-to-face reviews for children aged 12 months old. Under this proposal, health visitors who currently carry out these checks would continue to support vulnerable families identified as needing the most support.

As part of the consultation, people will also be asked their views on transferring the Derbyshire Integrated Specialist Intensive Home Visiting Service into a Section 75 Partnership Agreement – a legal agreement between the county council and DCHS to improve services, either by joining up existing services or developing new, co-ordinated and co-produced services. 

Councillor Carol Hart, the county council’s Cabinet Member for Health and Communities, said: “I’d encourage as many people as possible to tell us what they think about these proposals We recognise that all families are different and some need more support than others which is why these proposals would continue to support everyone, while providing targeted support to those with the greatest needs.

“Like all other councils across the country, we’re facing increasing financial pressures that are outside our control. With demand for support rising and continuing uncertainty around increasing costs, we have to consider how we continue to support those who need us most while continuing to deliver the services we are required to by law.

“I’d also like to reassure people that no decisions would be made about any of the services until we’d heard the public’s views and taken these fully in to consideration.”

Heather Longbottom, Divisional Director: Specialised Community Services, Deputy Chief Operating Officer Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust added: “We are fully supportive of this consultation and the importance of asking the public how they want finite resources to be utilised for the benefit of families in our area.

“Our specialist community public health nurses (health visitors) have a vital role to play in providing healthcare guidance to children and young families to give them the best start in life. We recognise that not all families or children need the same level of input and this consultation is designed to help target the specialist help available to those in our communities who most need it.

“We are grateful to our dedicated colleagues who are providing expert support to families across the county on a daily basis.”

The current service costs £12.816m a year to deliver with the funding coming from government. Uncertainty around rising costs mean if the proposals were agreed following consultation these could be phased in over the number of years.