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Health visitor

Alternative titles for this job include

Health visitors support and advise families with children aged 0 to 5 to make sure they have a healthy start in life.

Average salary (a year)

£40,000 Starter

to

£57,000 Experienced

Typical hours (a week)

37 to 42

You could work

evenings on a rota

How to become

Explore the different ways to get into this role.

How to become

You can get into this job through an apprenticeship or by working toward this role.

Apprenticeship

If you're a qualified and registered nurse or midwife, you may be able to apply for a Specialist Community Public Health Nurse Level 7 Degree Apprenticeship.

This takes up to 2 years to complete and combines on-the-job training with academic study. You'll need the support of your employer to do this.

Entry requirements

To do this apprenticeship, you'll need:

  • to be a registered nurse

More Information

Work

You can apply for health visitor training if you're a registered midwife, or a nurse in any branch of nursing.

You'll need to complete the Specialist Community Public Health Nursing - Health Visiting course. You can find a course approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

Your training can be full time or part time and will last between 1 and 2 years.

More Information

Registration

Career tips

You could work with babies, infants and young children alongside their families and carers.

You would be expected to have an understanding of how the NHS values would apply in your work.

Further information

You can get more advice about how to become a health visitor from Health Careers.

What it takes

Find out what skills you’ll use in this role.

What it takes

Skills and knowledge

You'll need:

  • sensitivity and understanding
  • active listening skills
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • the ability to work well with others
  • the ability to understand people’s reactions
  • knowledge of psychology
  • the ability to use your initiative
  • to be flexible and open to change
  • to be able to use a computer and the main software packages confidently

Restrictions and Requirements

You'll need to:

You'll usually need a full driving licence to visit families and health centres throughout the local area.

What you’ll do

Discover the day to day tasks you’ll do in this role.

What you'll do

Day-to-day tasks

As a health visitor, you could:

  • advise new parents on baby feeding, hygiene, safety and sleep
  • support parents with their children's development needs
  • help with a child's speech and language development
  • advise families about healthy eating and nutrition
  • co-ordinate vaccination programmes for children
  • organise clinics and drop-in centres
  • keep accurate records and make sure they're up to date
  • work with social services and other organisations to help keep children safe

Working environment

You could work at a client's home, at a health centre or at a GP practice.

Your working environment may be physically and emotionally demanding and you'll travel often.

Career path and progression

Look at progression in this role and similar opportunities.

Career path and progression

With experience, you could:

  • specialise in an area like working with teenage parents or people who need mental health support
  • become a team leader, community matron or work in wider healthcare management
  • move into education, training and assessment, or academic research

Current opportunities

Find apprenticeships, courses and jobs available near you.

Current opportunities

Apprenticeships In England

We can't find any apprenticeship vacancies in England for a health visitor right now.

The Find an apprenticeship service can help you with your search, send alerts when new apprenticeships become available and has advice on how to apply.

Courses In England

Access to HE Diploma (Nursing)

  • Provider: BOCK CONSULTANCY & PERSONNEL DEVELOPMENT LIMITED
  • Start date: Flexible
  • Location: Not known

Access to HE - Nursing

  • Provider: HRUC (Harrow, Richmond & Uxbridge Colleges)
  • Start date: 13 September 2027
  • Location: Harrow
Find courses near you

Jobs In the United Kingdom

The Find a job service can help you with your search for jobs and send alerts when new jobs become available.

Related careers

Midwife

Nurse

Children's nurse

District nurse

Community matron

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