Health Visitor
Also advertised as: advanced nurse manager, clinical academic, clinical academic nurse specialist, clinical matron, commissioning, Community Health Visitor
Supports families with children under five through home visits and clinics.
What the job involves
Health visitors check on child development, support parents with feeding and behaviour, and identify safeguarding concerns early. Building trust with new parents is central to the role, since families are more open when they do not feel judged. The role requires prior registration as a nurse or midwife before undertaking specialist training.
Typical responsibilities
- Carry out child development checks
- Support parents with feeding and routines
- Identify and act on safeguarding concerns
- Run baby clinics and parenting groups
- Refer families to other services
Common employers
- NHS community health services
- Local authority public health teams
Pay, hours and working environment
Typical pay
£35,000 – £38,000 a year
With experience
£43,000 – £50,000 a year
Typical hours
37.5 hours, mostly daytime
Working environment
Family homes, clinics and children's centres
Remote working
on_site
Demand for this work
high
Pay ranges are indicative guidance drawn from advertised UK vacancies and published careers information. They are not an offer, and actual pay varies by employer, location and experience.
Skills and qualifications
Core skills
- Clinical assessment
- Communication
- Safeguarding judgement
- Empathy
- Organisation
Transferable skills you may already have
- Nursing or midwifery background
- Parenting experience
- Building rapport quickly
Requirements employers ask for
- Clinical assessment
- Communication
- Safeguarding judgement
- Empathy
- Organisation
- NMC registered nurse or midwife
- Specialist Community Public Health Nursing qualification
- NMC registration
- Enhanced DBS check
- Full UK driving licence
- have computer literacy
- interact with healthcare users
- listen actively
- use e-health and mobile health technologies
- manage personal professional development
- work in a multicultural environment in health care
- promote human rights
- adhere to organisational guidelines
- apply health sciences
- comply with quality standards related to healthcare practice
- prescribe advanced nursing care
- work in multidisciplinary health teams
Useful but not essential
- Nursing or midwifery background
- Parenting experience
- Building rapport quickly
- Experience in paediatric or community nursing
- Safeguarding Level 3 training
- employ foreign languages in care
- employ foreign languages for health-related research
Helpful qualifications
- Experience in paediatric or community nursing
- Safeguarding Level 3 training
Licences and checks
- NMC registration
- Enhanced DBS check
- Full UK driving licence
Ways into this career
A degree is only one route. Where an apprenticeship, work-experience or qualification route exists, it is listed here alongside the academic option.
Apprenticeships and work-based routes
- Specialist Community Public Health Nurse (postgraduate apprenticeship route)
Degree and college routes
- Related subject: Biology
- Related subject: Health and social care
Where this career can lead
next
Senior Health Visitor
next
Named Nurse for Safeguarding
next
Public Health Nursing Lead
The good parts and the hard parts
What people enjoy
- Preventative work with lasting family impact
- Regular daytime hours compared with ward nursing
- Strong national shortage supports job security
What people find hard
- Requires existing nursing or midwifery registration
- Safeguarding decisions carry heavy responsibility
Common questions
- Do you need a degree to become a health visitor?
- No. As well as degree routes, this career can be entered through an apprenticeship or by building experience and qualifications on the job. required
- How much does a health visitor earn in the UK?
- Typical advertised pay runs from £35,000 to £38,000 a year, rising towards £50,000 with experience. Figures are indicative guidance rather than an offer.
- What skills transfer into this career?
- Skills that transfer well include Nursing or midwifery background, Parenting experience, Building rapport quickly.
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Where this information comes from
- National Careers Service
- Institute for Apprenticeships
Last reviewed 15 September 2026.
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