Local Offer - Universal Health Services

Universal health services for children and young people in Solihull.

All children and young people are able to access what is referred to as universal services - these are services that most people will be familiar with and they are often most people’s first point of contact.

Immunisations and Vaccinations

In the UK, every child should be protected against preventable diseases and is entitled to free childhood immunisations. It is important that children are offered the chance to be vaccinated safely and effectively. 

Information on why vaccination is safe and important can be found on the NHS website

  • Scheduled vaccinations (for ages 0-5, including MMR, 6 in 1 and others) are typically accessed via GP.
  • Other school age vaccinations are typically offered via schools, or via GP if unable to access through that route, by the School Age Immunisation Service. The immunisation team delivers routine national childhood immunisations to children at school in Birmingham and Solihull, and to those that live within Birmingham and Solihull, offering protection against disease. Further details of their services can be found at Immunisation Services: Birmingham Community Healthcare website.  They visit more than 600 locations across the area every year to offer immunisation services to children and young people. These venues include mainstream and special schools, behaviour support units, independent schools, patient homes, and health centre-based vaccination clinics. 

Covid Vaccinations

  • There is a year-round COVID offer for children aged 6 months and older who are newly immunosuppressed, and in-season who children who are already diagnosed as immunosuppressed. Parents of eligible children are being contacted pro-actively via the Bookings Team.

Healthy Child Programme Service (0 to 19 years)

The Healthy Child Programme Service (0-19 years) integrates four areas in child health including:

  • Health Visiting
  • Infant Feeding Support
  • Family Nurse Partnership (for teenage parents)
  • School Nursing

The service is delivered by South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust.

Health Visiting

The Health Visiting Team is a team of Health Visitors (qualified specialist community public health nurses) working in partnership with community Nursery Nurses, Infant Feeding Specialists and other professionals who support families in Solihull.

The team help to empower parents and carers to make decisions that affect their family’s health and well-being. They provide expert information, developmental assessments and interventions for babies, children and families along the parenthood journey - from before your baby is born until 5 years of age. Their role is focused on improving the health outcomes for children, the local community, wider populations and to support reducing inequalities.

Information for healthy happy early years can be found on the Health for under 5s website.

Infant feeding support

The infant feeding support team provide antenatal and postnatal information and support, however baby is fed. 

This information can include topics around breastfeeding, formula feeding, expressing, brain development, working and breastfeeding, long term breastfeeding, stopping breastfeeding.

They work alongside Health Visitors, Midwives and other Health Professionals to provide support and information.

They also hold regular Breastfeeding Cafes which are run by our Breastfeeding Peer Supporters. These can be in-person and online cafes that offer friendly and informal information and support around feeding babies, as well as the opportunity to meet other mums and babies. For information on times and venues please visit Solihull Infant Feeding team Linktree page

School Nursing

School Nurses lead the delivery of the Healthy Child Programme to school age children (5-19 years) in mainstream schools, academies and Pupil Referral Units in Solihull.

The nurses measure heights and weights, conduct vision screening and health checks to all children at school entry, year 6 and year 9, responding to identified health needs.

Family Nurse Partnership

The Family Nurse Partnership (FNP) is an intensive programme that supports first-time parents under 19 years from early pregnancy until their child is 2 years old.

Sexual Health services (Umbrella)

Umbrella is a partnership, led by University Hospitals Birmingham, consisting of a number of community-based organisations, charities and health service providers, with the aim of improving the sexual health and wellbeing of the people of Birmingham and Solihull.

Information for children and young people about living healthily

Health for Kids

There is a website specifically for primary aged children (aged 4-11years) and a site for teenagers at the following addresses:

Health for Teens

There is a website specifically for teenagers at the following addresses: