How to Become a Health Visitor in the UK
Health visitor careers are in high demand. Are you looking to enter this rewarding profession? Learn more right now.
Health visitors are an essential part of the UK's health and social care sector. They specialise in working with children aged 0 to 5 years and their families to identify health needs, improve wellbeing, and reduce inequalities. In some cases, they also work with at-risk groups, including addicts and the homeless. Essentially, health visitors are registered nurses or midwives who have trained to become specialist community public health nurses. Because of the shortage of health visitors in the UK, the demand for skilled workers is higher than ever before. If you are looking to enter this rewarding profession, now is the perfect time to learn how to become a health visitor.
A health visitor job can offer you a fantastic start to a thriving and rewarding career in healthcare, with plenty of opportunities for professional development. With the proper training, you could advance to team manager or community matron or specialize in working with teenage parents or those in need of mental health support. You could also progress into teaching within the community, work as a practice assessor or support clinical research.
What Does a Health Visitor Do?
A health visitor works with families and their babies from the late antenatal stage to five years of age. In this role, you'll use your expertise and training to determine risks and identify any health needs to ensure the proper support is given as early as possible. Most often, you'll be the first to recognise if a child is at risk of harm, and a crucial part of your role will be to safeguard and protect vulnerable children with the help of other health and social care partners. Typically, you will provide individual support and advice for families in their homes. However, you could work with at-risk or deprived groups, including addicts or the homeless.
As a health visitor, you'll have the opportunity to travel and work in various environments, including private homes, GP practices, health clinics, or community settings. Most health visitors practice within the NHS, working as part of a team with other healthcare professionals such as midwives, nurses, GPs, social workers, and childcare providers.
In this role, your daily tasks could include:
- advising new parents on baby feeding, hygiene, sleep, child development, and home safety.
- performing health reviews to assess growth, communication, and development.
- identifying risk factors and child concerns, working with organisations to safeguard and protect children.
- managing child's immunisation schedule
- implementing illness and obesity prevention by encouraging healthy habits and good nutrition
- supporting infant and maternal mental health
- maintaining and updating client records
- organising specialist clinics and drop-in centres
How to Become a Health Visitor
You may be wondering, "How can I become a health visitor?" First, you must be a qualified registered nurse (in any field) or midwife. Then you'll need to complete a course in Specialist Community Public Health Nursing – Health Visiting (SCPHN – HV), approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC.) This is offered at a degree or master's level and typically takes one-year full time to complete. You'll require sponsorship by a health provider organization that will provide your supervisor, community practice assessor, and clinical placement.
Another option is to apply for a specialist community public health nurse degree apprenticeship if you are already a qualified registered nurse or midwife. This usually takes 18 months to complete and involves a combination of workplace learning and academic study.
You must pass an enhanced background check, including occupational health and Disclosure & Barring Service checks, as part of the application process.
In addition to your credentials and work experience, employers typically look for candidates with the following healthcare skills:
- excellent communication and listening skills
- sensitivity, patience, and understanding
- problem-solving and critical thinking
- ability to work independently and as part of a team
- time management and organisation
- flexibility and ability to work well under pressure
How Much are Health Visitors Paid in the UK?
Your salary is determined by your experience and credentials and will vary regionally, with wages usually highest in Greater London. Your pay will also differ between the NHS and private sectors. Under the Agenda for Change NHS pay scales, health visitor salaries start on Band 6 and range from £32,306 to £39,027.
You could progress to a senior level position such as team manager or health visitor specialist and achieve a Band 7 salary of between £40,057 and £45,839. Working in the NHS, you'll have access to a pension scheme and health service discounts and 27 days of annual leave plus bank holidays.
How to Apply for Health Visitor Jobs
Are you ready to apply for health visitor jobs on Monster? Now that you've learned how to become a health visitor, you can start by updating your CV and writing an impressive cover letter before applying for jobs.
Health visitor jobs are in high demand within the NHS, and there are plenty of job vacancies across the UK. Depending on your location, you may want to consider roles in:
Ready to Begin Your Health Visitor Career? Get Started Today with Monster
Now that we've shown you how to become a health visitor, you can be confident in taking the next step in your job search. Get started by creating a free Monster profile and catch the attention of potential recruiters. You can upload your CV, and we'll also send you frequent job alerts, job search tips, and much more.