How health visitors and routine baby reviews work in England

Katerina Galkina · EN · 07/10/2026

Health visitors and GPs provide different parts of child care. In England, health visiting teams discuss development, feeding, safety and family needs. GPs perform the scheduled medical examination and assess illness. Do not wait for the next routine review when a concern arises. NHS: baby's health and development reviews ↗.

Identify your team

After birth, ask the midwife to confirm handover to the local health visiting service. After moving, register the child with a GP and locate the new area's health visiting team through its official NHS service or the practice. Provide your address, contact details and previous team.

Contact the team yourself if no invitation arrives. A missing message does not establish that a review is unavailable. Ask whether the appointment is at home, a baby clinic, GP surgery or children's centre.

Bring the red book and questions

The personal child health record, usually called the red book, records growth, weight, vaccinations and important information. Bring it to appointments. After an overseas move, bring foreign records and ask how to transfer the history; retain originals.

Write questions about feeding, sleep, development and your own wellbeing. Request interpreting or accessible communication beforehand. Where possible, both parents can attend and discuss concerns.

Check the main scheduled stages

NHS describes a new baby review at 10–14 days, a physical examination usually by a GP at 6–8 weeks, and development reviews at 9–12 months and 2–2½ years. ASQ-3 questionnaires may support the later reviews; ask for help completing them if needed. NHS: review stages ↗.

Vaccination is organised separately under the current schedule. A completed development review does not confirm every vaccine has been given. Before leaving, establish the next contact and who communicates any additional screening results.

Get help between reviews

Contact the health visitor or GP about development or feeding. Use the appropriate urgent route for illness. NHS advises urgent contact with 111 for a baby under three months with a temperature of at least 38°C. Call 999 for severe breathing difficulty, inability to wake or another life-threatening emergency. NHS: fever in children ↗.

Request a written monitoring plan where needed. Check local schedules in other UK nations rather than automatically applying England's stages.