No well-child visits in the UK?

Help a newbie walk through the basics of preventative health-care for children...

We've been here for over a year now (!). My daughter is 5.5 years old. I recently called our GP and said I wanted to make an appointment for a check-up for my daughter. The receptionist said great, here's your appointment. We showed up and the GP looked at my daughter, asked what the problem was, then proceeded to tell me that, unlike in America, they don't waste time with check-ups and not to bring her back unless "something is wrong".

Erm, ok? I'm pretty sure preventative care isn't a new idea! Especially given that here in the UK we get a flyer from my daughter's dentist every six months on the dot to let us know to bring her in.

So... where, and to whom, do I take my daughter? Is it true there's no system for well-child visits, or was my GP being a bit of a grouch?

Yes, there are visits much like the well child visits. I actually prefer how they do then for younger children-like not taking my new vulnerable baby into a doctor's office but having a health visitor come to my home instead.

I think once you start getting into school years though, there aren't really visits to the health visitor like that. There are some things you'll get through school like hearing and vision checks as well as some immunisations. There are also school nurses that are more involved than back in the States. In general, I'd say GPs really only get involved if there's a problem, there isn't quite as much focus on prevention as they get older, but there are usually other professionals around who help.

The NHS is not very proactive, tends  to be a more reactive system.  Health visitors are pretty good for babies, but once kids get above 3, there really isn't much of any input from them.  I have three kids 7, 5 and 2 and HV's have done progressivly less over the time I have had kids.  For my last child, she hasn't seen the HV since she was 9 months old. They have phoned once to see if I had any issues, asked me questions for her assessment and that was it.  No one has listened to my kids hearts to see if they have murmurs since they were born, checked their height/weight/head circumfrence since they were infants.  If there aren't having symptoms it isn't a problem seems to be the mentality. 

Sorry for the rant.  I'm more than fed up with the care my kids have received over the last year.  When we were in the US last year we had to take my youngest to the doctors and they actually examined he rtop to toe, found something that I hadn't come in for. I wish the NHS would be a bit more like that.

I think, as with most things, it can vary from place to place.  In our GP practice, you have a health visitor from the time your baby is two weeks old until the child turns 4.  There are set ages that the HV sees all kids (usually when they are due vaccines) but she also runs a weekly drop-in clinic and will see any young child for any reason, even just for like weight checks, etc.  After that, things are usually done through the GP.  I've never even asked for a well child check.  Any time I take my kids to the doctor if they aren't feeling well, they usually check things like vitals etc, and ask if I have any concerns or questions, and that has worked well enough for me.  With my daughter (she's 5) the only thing our doctor doesn't usually check is her weight, and I've asked for it and she has done it with no problems.

I will say (and I know this is only my experience) that any concerns I've had have been taken seriously and addressed in a timely manner.  Both of my kids had developmental delays from an early age, and at first, it was fairly subtle.  Not once did I encounter a person who suggested I worried too much  or that I should wait and see.  Both of my children have now been diagnosed with autism.  My son was just diagnosed in August at age 22 months, which is pretty young, and I put a lot of it down to the health visitor seeing him regularly for the well baby checks and getting the ball rolling for further assessments.   

Our surgery doesn't have well-child checkups...but my doctors office in the US didn't do checkups for older children either (they have them once a year from 1-3, then they stop).  Other than that, they had hearing and vision tests at school...and at some point they check the straightness of your back at school.  I never had well-child checkups as a kid in the US either.

We do have checkups with the Health Visitor until the age of 3.  Maybe after that they rely on the parents/teachers to notice and report any concerns?

I guess like everything else, it just depends on where you are/came from.

I agree with Kathleen that the NHS tends to be more reactionary, but if you feel that something isn't right you may need to pester the Drs to take it any further.  However, I've felt that my local surgery's reacted pretty quickly whenever I have any issues with either of my children, and treat any of my concerns with a professional attitude.

Like Petunia our local surgery holds a Well Baby Clinic once a week for weighing, jabs, check ups etc.  But it's done under the Health Visitors and one of the GPs.  Generally Health Visitors and these type of clinics deal with children up until school age (generally 5).  You may want to contact your local Health Visitors and just have a chat.  Because of your daughter's age she won't fall under their care, but they should be willing to help walk you through the process, as well as provide insight into which Drs at your local surgery / office are the more child-friendly ones.   

I agree with Kathleen that the NHS tends to be more reactionary, but if you feel that something isn't right you may need to pester the Drs to take it any further.  However, I've felt that my local surgery's reacted pretty quickly whenever I have any issues with either of my children, and treat any of my concerns with a professional attitude.

Like Petunia our local surgery holds a Well Baby Clinic once a week for weighing, jabs, check ups etc.  But it's done under the Health Visitors and one of the GPs.  Generally Health Visitors and these type of clinics deal with children up until school age (generally 5).  You may want to contact your local Health Visitors and just have a chat.  Because of your daughter's age she won't fall under their care, but they should be willing to help walk you through the process, as well as provide insight into which Drs at your local surgery / office are the more child-friendly ones.   

The well-baby clinics run by the HVs have been pretty good. I've seen older children there (at least as old as 4), and there is a clinic somewhere around almost every day of the week.

As PPs have said, it does depend on your area. There is a GP at my surgery and he is super thorough. At my baby's 8-week appointment, he looked her over really well, checked everything out, etc. However, at my friend's baby's 8-week appointment at her surgery, the doc just said, "How's she eating?" and "Is anything wrong?"

I would ask around with other mums and see if they have recs for good GPs in the area, since it's so hit or miss.

As PPs have said, it does depend on your area. There is a GP at my surgery and he is super thorough. At my baby's 8-week appointment, he looked her over really well, checked everything out, etc. However, at my friend's baby's 8-week appointment at her surgery, the doc just said, "How's she eating?" and "Is anything wrong?"

I would ask around with other mums and see if they have recs for good GPs in the area, since it's so hit or miss.

Further to this, I would check to see if your surgery has a brochure about each of the practice Drs.  (Sorry, I just thought of this.)  Ours does and it lists each of the Drs specialities.  It may come in handy in the future.  You may not be guaranteed to see them, but you do have the right to request a particular GP when you make an appointment, especially if you are having ongoing treatment.