Health visitors
As well as your doctor, help is at hand locally from community nurses and health visitors.
Nurses who work in the community provide a range of services for people who are ill, are worried about their health and to prevent them becoming ill in the first place.
They work in the home, in schools, local surgeries and health centres. The people they work with may have physical or mental health problems and they are concerned for people whose health may be particularly vulnerable such as older people, children or people with learning disabilities.
In Liverpool Health visitors generally provide health advice and support to mothers with babies and young children under five. When children start school this role is taken over by the school nurse.
Nurses in the community work closely with GPs, local social services and hospitals.
Social services departments publish local 'Community Care Charters'. In Liverpool this is called Better Care Higher Standards. It is drawn up together with housing departments and the National Health Service (NHS). These enable users of services and carers to know who is responsible for what and the standard of the service they can expect.
If it is felt you require a Health Visitor or Community Nurse, your doctor will make the appropriate arrangements.