The importance of the antenatal home visit by the health visitor

Abstract

It is recognised that contact with a health professional during pregnancy can contribute towards the reduction of health inequalities at birth, in infancy, throughout childhood and across the whole of an individual's life course. Research has shown that the antecedents of many lifelong conditions and illnesses in the middle and later years of life have their roots in the antenatal period, and health visiting is the only universal service that can provide health promotion, early intervention and primary prevention in the antenatal period that continues into the early years. This article discusses the benefits of an antenatal home visit carried out by the health visitor, not only for children and families, but also for the health visitor, health visiting service, the health organisation and the country as a whole, identifying this visit to be the most valuable within a health visiting programme. The article will look at the picture across the UK; and, in particular, how Scotland has the potential to implement an antenatal home visit within the core programme.