TY - JOUR T1 - What do health visitors contribute to the care of children? A study in the north of England. JF - The Journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners JO - J R Coll Gen Pract SP - 201 LP - 205 VL - 39 IS - 322 AU - G N Marsh AU - D Russell AU - I T Russell Y1 - 1989/05/01 UR - http://bjgp.org/content/39/322/201.abstract N2 - All the health visitors in the north of England, and more than half the general practitioners, were sent questionnaires about the primary health care of children. More than 90% of the health visitors responded. Most of them took part in developmental screening and considered it primarily their responsibility; some conducted developmental or well baby clinics with no other professionals present. Clinics run by health authorities often occupied several hours per week, and were more frequently attended by health visitors than clinics run by general practitioners. Almost all the health visitors' remaining time was spent in attached practices, despite the fact that more than half said they had neither office nor clinic space of their own on practice premises. A high proportion of time was spent on clerical work; more help with this could free the health visitor to provide better developmental care for all children. ER -