Today, Tuesday 1 February, marks the official launch of the new 0-25 Health and Wellbeing Service for local children, young people, and families across Knowsley.
The new service, delivered by the Trust, aims to improve the current and future health and wellbeing of all children and young people in Knowsley.
The 0-25 Health and Wellbeing Service includes Health Visiting, Infant Feeding, School Nursing, and the Enhancing Families Programme (EFP) for families who might need more tailored support for a longer period of time. Local parents, carers and young people will continue to see the same health professionals in their local community and continue to receive dedicated care and advice.
Families can access the service on 0151 514 2666 or by visiting the dedicated children and young people’s website.
The dedicated website provides parents, carers, and young people with access to advice and information – ranging from baby packs to advice on ‘fussy eating’ to puberty support and vaccination schedules, as well as providing access to a range of services offering tailored support including local online support groups. The website is easy to use and includes an online feedback form for young people to share their experiences about the services they’ve received.
During the spring the team will be launching ChatHealth in Knowsley, a confidential NHS approved, text messaging service for local young people aged 11-19. This new service, delivered by school nurses and a winner of the NHS Innovation Challenge Award, provides advice, information and guidance on topics including anxiety, healthy lifestyles, relationships, emotions, body image and stress, and signposts to other services if needed.
Over the past seven years the Trust has been delivering outstanding, responsive, and innovative integrated 0-19 and 0-19+ Health and Wellbeing Services in Wirral and Cheshire East, providing support for over 154,000 children and young people. Last year the Trust’s 0-25 journey travelled to St Helens with teams working with over 53,000 families. From birth to adulthood, these services give families the best possible start in life and have a huge impact on the long-term health of children and young people.
Liz Jones, Interim Service Director for the Integrated Children’s Division said: “The growth of our 0-25 Health and Wellbeing Services is a true reflection of the wonderful job that our services deliver every day and the dedicated support our teams provide to local families.”
Karen Howell, CEO, said: “We are looking forward to providing high quality services and tailored support to children, young people and their families in Knowsley. We passionately believe that working together, and with partners, listening to and engaging with our service users, we can make a real difference to the lives of local people.”
We are making a difference across Wirral, Cheshire East and St Helens, and are now proud to include Knowsley as we care for children and families across the region.”
Cllr Margaret Harvey, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, said “I’m delighted to welcome Wirral Community Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust to Knowsley. I know that our children, young people and families will benefit from the wealth of experience the team has and I look forward to working with them.”
Cllr Christine Bannon, Cabinet Member for Health, added “I know our children and families will benefit from the support provided by Wirral Community Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust and help them to improve their health and wellbeing.”