Each year in the UK, almost 4,000 children and young people are diagnosed with cancer – with around a 1 in 450 chance (1 in 422 for males and 1 in 488 for females) of developing cancer by the age of 15.
Health visitors play an important role in spotting possible signs of cancer - by noticing unexplained symptoms, changes in health, or responding to parental concerns during routine visits or opportunistic contacts - and encouraging timely GP / urgent referral. They can also support families experiencing childhood cancer by helping them navigate and understand services, cope with uncertainty, and access appropriate support throughout assessment, diagnosis, and treatment.
iHV Resources
📃 Good Practice Points and Parent Tips
Developed in collaboration with topic experts, health visitors, and other professionals, our resources draw on the latest available evidence at the time of publication. Each resource is produced through a robust quality assurance process and peer reviewed to ensure accuracy, relevance, and strong alignment with health visiting practice.
