UKSC response to UKCC

[Guest guest]

I attach draft/final response from UKSC to the health visiting

standards consultation in case anyone is still (like me!) still on the

last minute and looking for ideas. It includes a version of the

'purpose of health visiting' statement posted on Senate, which has

been refined so far to:

" The overall purpose of health visiting is to

improve and maintain physical, mental and emotional health and social

wellbeing. Health visitors adopt a positive, health-focused

perspective, treating health as a process (not a state of being) in

its overall socio-cultural context. Fundamental to their

practice is the ability to maintain an openness to others' concepts

of health and wellbeing and provision of an accessible and

non-stigmatising service.

Health visiting is a public health service that focuses at various

times on individuals, families, groups, communities or populations, to

address factors that affect health and wellbeing. It aims

to develop the capacity and confidence of groups and individuals to

improve their own health and wellbeing, improving service provision by

acting as an interface between groups/individuals in the population

and population-based approaches.

The professional practice of health visiting requires an ability to

assess risk in complex, ambiguous situations and deal with conflicting

or competing priorities. Health visitors need to know when to

draw on different, sometimes contradictory theories and perspectives,

how to develop effective relationships based on trust and openness and

an ability to work flexibly with other services and practitioners in a

range of settings. The health visiting process is achieved

through four unique principles, that are:

1. The search for health needs

2. The stimulation of an awareness of health needs

3. The influence on policies affecting health

4. The facilitation of an awareness of health

needs "

I admit to being influenced in

pulling together this response by many comments on Senate as well as

at UKSC, so I hope my lecturer colleagues will forgive me that!

Best wishes

sarah

--

Cowley

Professor of Community Practice Development

Public Health and Health Services Research Section

Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery

King's College, London

3.29b Clerk Maxwell Building

57 Waterloo Road

London SE1 8WA

tel: 020 7848 3030

fax: 020 7848 3506