Children's Health

Care for Your Child's Growth and Wellbeing

two toddler girls hugging eachother

Helping You Give Your Child a Healthier Start

The Better Health Start for Life website provides trusted advice and guidance for parents on a wide range of topics to help give children the best start in life. This includes support and information on:

  • Pregnancy and Birth
  • Baby Care
  • Child Development
  • Parental Wellbeing
  • And more

You can find more detailed information and resources directly on the NHS Start for Life website>>

Health Visitors

Health Visitors are all trained Nurses who have extra training and qualifications in child health and who can offer advice for expectant mothers and small children up to school age.

The Dorset Healthcare Health Visiting Service offers Well baby drop in clinics at our surgery on Thursday mornings between 10.30am and noon. 

We encourage all parents to bring their children to the practice for immunisations, weighing and childhood checks. Health Visitors are a fantastic source of information about child development and health, parenting strategies, breastfeeding, nutrition and community support. They also offer help with social, emotional and environmental issues that affect families.

More information about health visitors and what they do can be found on the Dorset HealthCare University website by following this link>>

A wendy house in the foreground with a blurred background image of a woman and a man playing with a small child and the words Bournemouth, Christchurch, Poole, Purbeck, East Dorset, Dorchester, North Dorset, Chesil and West Dorset.  Dorset Healthcare Health Visiting Service

Childhood Immunisations

For families with children we emphasize the particular importance of recording immunisations and vaccination history of children, as this is an important aspect of your child's healthcare.

In accordance with the NHS Vaccination Schedule, we offer routine childhood immunisations.  

Routine childhood immunisations include Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis, Polio and Haemophilus influenza type B immunisation, Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Meningitis B, Meningitis C, Pneumococcus, Rotavirus, Hepatitis B, and Seasonal Influenza. 

Please note the schedule below for information on NHS vaccinations for babies and children and when to have them, or visit the NHS website by following this link:>>

We will contact you when your child is due for a vaccination. But If you believe your child may have missed a vaccination, please contact us to let us know.

Routine immunisation schedule
Page last reviewed: 17 July 2025
Page created: 26 February 2024