Health (early years)
Find out about health services on offer within Wiltshire for those in the SEND community.
If you don not see what you are looking for, more information can be found within Health Services or under the related pages links on the right hand side of this page. You can also email localoffer@wiltshire.gov.uk with a request for more information.
Community Paediatrics is a team of children's doctors in Wiltshire who see children and young people and their families in the community.
We investigate and diagnose children with a range of difficulties including Autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and delayed development.
Our Paediatricians listen to, assess and decide the best way to help children with a developmental impairment, physical and/or learning disability or complex health needs (e.g., Autism or Cerebral Palsy).
We also carry out specialist assessments of school-age children; where there is a concern regarding a neuro-developmental disorder, for example, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASDs).
To find out more about what we offer or how to refer, visit Wiltshire Children's Services: Community Paediatrics.
The Wiltshire Speech and Language Therapy team supports parents, families, teaching staff, child-minders and early years staff across Wiltshire. We offer support to children who experience speech, language, communication or swallowing difficulties aged 0-18 years, through working on communication, understanding, talking, speech sounds, stammering, and voice.
The service also provides formal and informal training to support the Team Around the Child to best meet the communication needs of each child and young person and works closely with preschools and schools across the Wiltshire community
To find out more about what we offer or how to refer, visit Wiltshire Children's Services: Speech and Language Therapy.
The Wiltshire Integrated Therapies Service is a unique team of qualified Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists and Therapy Assistants who pride themselves in their multi-disciplinary approach to meet the therapy needs of children and young people from 0 to18 years, in the Wiltshire area.
The therapists support children and young people to participate as fully as possible in everyday activities where emotional, psychological, or physical difficulties might hinder their ability to grow, learn, socialise and play. The team provide assessments as well as intervention to help children and young people to get the most from life and achieve their potential.
The importance of each child's individuality is at the core of the services offered to families with the aim to make assessments and interventions fun and engaging. Working together enables therapists to meet the child's goals and individual needs.
To find out more about what we offer or how to refer, visit Wiltshire Children's Services: Integrated Therapies.
A community nursing service for children and young people 0-18 years who have a diagnosis that is life limiting/threatening or long term and complex, and where there is an active nursing need that requires monitoring and nursing support in the community. This includes end of life planning and nursing care.
Our team also provides specialist training on enteral feeding, meeting respiratory needs, anaphylaxis* and administration of buccal midazolam* (*training for school staff if provided by the School Nursing Service).
To find out more about what we offer or how to refer, visit https://wiltshirechildrensservices.co.uk/ or call our Single Point of Access 0300 247 0090 and ask to speak to the duty Community Children's Nurse. For further information on community nursing, visit Wiltshire Children's Services: Children’s Community Nursing.
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) is an NHS service that helps children and young people under the age of 18 years.
They provide assessment and support to children, young people and their families who are experiencing moderate to severe mental health difficulties.
To find out more please visit:
A service for children and young people 0-18 who have been assessed and meet Children's Continuing Health Care.
To find out more about what we offer or how to refer, visit Wiltshire Children's Services: Children’s Continuing Care.
The Community Children's Learning Disability Health Service is a specialist team of learning disability nurses and support worker that are commissioned to support children with a moderate to severe learning disability 0-18 years. These children have significant cognitive delay and usually have access to specialist nursery provision, Portage, or have an Educational Health Care Plan.
The service undertakes assessments in the home and provides support to improve sleep, behaviour including antisocial and sexualised behaviour, emotional literacy such as anger and anxiety management, faddy eating, and the behavioural aspects of daily living skills development such as delayed toilet training.
To find out more about what we offer or how to refer, visit Wiltshire Children's Services: Learning Disability Health Service.
A personal budget is the money Wiltshire Council allocates to an individual to meet their assessed support needs.
An outcome based assessment will be carried out to establish an approximate figure for how much the council would need to spend to meet an individual's needs.
A personal health budget is the money that can be made available to a child or young person with complex, long-term and/or life-limiting health conditions, who is assessed as needing continuing health care.
Wiltshire Children's Community Audiology Service is a team of specialist paediatric audiologists and experienced clinical support staff, supported by our administrative team. Our community-based service provides hearing assessment for any child referred from birth to 16 years old, or 19 years old if they have Special Educational Needs. We also assess and care for any child with permanent hearing loss requiring monitoring of hearing and communication development.
To find out more about what we offer or how to refer, visit Wiltshire Children's Services: Children’s Community Audiology.
The Children's Bladder and Bowel Service is a nurse led service that assesses the needs of children who have daytime or night-time wetting, or who experience constipation following first line intervention from their GP. The service provides containment products for school age children who are incontinent day and night, and are working towards toilet training or are assessed as requiring products long term to meet their need.
To find out more about what we offer or how to refer, visit Wiltshire Children's Services: Bladder and Bowel.
The Children Looked After (CLA) Health team provides support and assessment for all children and young people who come into care. When a child or young person comes into care, they will have an Initial Health Assessment (IHA) - this is a statutory health assessment that is required to be completed within 28 days of coming into care. It is completed by a paediatrician or an appropriately trained medical practitioner.
A healthcare plan will be developed and shared with the young person and professionals around them. After this the child or young person's health is reviewed by specialist nurses who include specialist CLA nurses, health visitors and school nurses once or twice a year.
To find out more about what we offer or how to refer, visit HCRG Care Group: Looked after children's service.
The Health Visiting service provides advice and support to all families with a pre-school child in Wiltshire (0 to 5 years).
The Health Visiting Service is a team of qualified professionals who can offer support to families from pregnancy to school age with any health-related issues. These can be related to family emotional well-being; infant feeding advice; adjusting to parenthood; child development; speech and language or just general evidence-based advice and support to give your child the best start in life.
They deliver the Healthy Child Programme where they offer contacts at 5 key points:
- Antenatal Period
- New Birth Visit
- 6 to 8 weeks
- 9 to 11 months
- 27 to 30 months
They see families both at home and in local community venues.
Families are welcome to attend their Healthy Child Drop-ins which run across Wiltshire and all the information is on our website.
They can be contacted from Monday to Friday for telephone advice and support between the hours of 9am and 5pm on 0300 247 0090.
Information on a variety of topics can be found on our website:
To find out more about what they offer or how to refer, visit Wiltshire Children's Services HCRG Care Group: Health Visiting.
The Wiltshire School Nursing Service is a team of professionals holding a range of skills and qualifications to provide confidential advice, care and treatment to children and young people who attend a Wiltshire state school. Each secondary school also receives a weekly drop in for young people to independently seek advice for any health concerns.
School nurses can offer support, advice or signposting to other sources of information/support regarding your child's health on specific topics including:
- Healthy weight and healthy eating
- Bed wetting
- Sleep problems
- Hearing and vision screening (in reception year)
- Advice on managing and signposting for a range of health conditions where other health professionals are not involved
- Emotional health including low mood, panic, stress, worry, early signs of anxiety, anger difficulties, feeling overwhelmed, building resilience (where specialist services are not involved)
- Puberty and sexual health
- Key stage of life transition, i.e. moving on to secondary school or adult services.
The service provides a duty school nurse line where professionals, parent/carers or young people can contact a member of the team between 9am and 5pm Monday - Friday through the single point of access (0300 247 0090).
To find out more about what they offer or how to refer, visit Wiltshire Children's Services HCRG Care Group: School Nursing.
Family Nurse Partnership (FNP) is a preventative programme offered to first time mothers, aged 19 and under. HCRG Care Group provide this programme to mothers who are resident in Wiltshire.
This voluntary personalised programme offers up to 64 intensive and structured home visits, delivered by specially trained nurses, from early pregnancy through to the child's 2nd birthday. Visits can take place in the home or in the community
To find out more about what they offer or how to refer, visit Wiltshire Children's Community Services: Family Nurse Partnership.
The Wiltshire Autism Assessment Service (WAAS) is an assessment-only service for children who are showing signs of possible autism. The service offers a number of different assessment pathways which are selected based on each child's needs.
Once a referral to the service has been accepted, families will receive an initial telephone consultation with an autism practitioner to discuss next steps in detail and to explain where to find support for the child and family's needs. Families of children who have been accepted to the service can sign up to receive the monthly email newsletter from the service, by contacting the Single Point of Access 0300 247 0090.
To find out more about what they offer or how to refer, visit Wiltshire Children's Services: Wiltshire Autism Assessment Service (WAAS).
Wiltshire School Aged Immunisation Service is predominantly a school-based service for the delivery school aged vaccinations in line with the National Childhood Immunisation Programme across B&NES, Wiltshire, Swindon, and Devon. This includes Diphtheria/Tetanus/Polio boosters, Meningitis ACWY vaccination, Human Papilloma Virus immunisations and annual school aged seasonal influenza protection for eligible cohorts.
Immunisations are offered to all children/young people, including home educated children and others not in school, and are offered both in the school setting and in community clinic venues by appointment. We are also able to offer MMR vaccinations in the clinic setting for those who have not previously had 2 doses. Information is shared with parents and young people by working in partnership with schools and home education links, and immunisations are given with consent gained from parents/carers using an electronic consent system.
Responses to outbreaks requiring immunisation, such as measles, are also supported as part of the wider immunisation service.
The service is delivered by our team of nurses who are fully trained in the management and administration of all school aged vaccinations led by Senior Immunisation Nurses and supported by a team of Support Workers and business support staff. The team are experienced in working with all age groups and able to support those with special needs and requirements, including needle anxieties to access their vaccinations.
We have a Single Point of Access phone line, available every working day from 9am to 4.30pm , with trained business support staff who are able to support with queries and completion of on-line consent forms.
The team can be contacted on vcl.immunisations@nhs.net or by calling 0300 247 0082.
Further information can also be found at Wiltshire Children's Services: Home Immunisation Service.
Wiltshire Health and Care (WHC) is a partnership focused solely on delivering improved community services in Wiltshire. Their services include the following, and more:
- Minor Injuries
- Physiotherapy
- Wheelchair access
- Respiratory
- Community hospitals
- And many other services
To find out more please visit: