The Princess of Wales visited a hospital in Bordon today (Wednesday, November 11) to see how pioneering training is helping health visitors identify babies who may need extra support.
The Princess met NHS staff and families at the Chase Community Hospital to learn about a programme backed by her Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood.
The Alarm Distress Baby Scale (ADBB) helps health visitors spot early signs of social withdrawal in babies by observing their eye contact, facial expressions, vocalisation and activity levels.
The approach is designed to help professionals better understand babies' behaviour, support parents and identify children who may benefit from further assessment or intervention.
The Chase Hospital is home to one of three health visiting teams from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust trained during the project's pilot phase.
The trust has since trained additional specialist health visitors and staff from its Growing Little Minds team and plans to extend the training to its remaining 12 health visiting teams across Hampshire.
During her visit, the Princess spoke to health visitors using the approach and families who had received additional support following assessments.
She also joined discussions with NHS representatives from elsewhere in the UK who are considering introducing the training.
The Princess first encountered ADBB during a visit to Denmark in February 2022 and subsequently asked her Centre for Early Childhood to explore its potential use in Britain.
The Centre has since worked with the Institute of Health Visiting to introduce the approach across NHS services.
Alison Morton OBE, chief executive of the Institute of Health Visiting, said: “It was wonderful to welcome The Princess of Wales to Hampshire today and share how health visitors are using the ADBB tool to strengthen their assessment of infant social and emotional wellbeing.
“Her Royal Highness’s knowledge, passion and commitment to improving outcomes in the early years continue to shine a spotlight on the vital support that health visitors provide for babies and families.”
She added that evaluations had shown the approach could be incorporated into routine visits, with growing interest from health services across the country.
Christian Guy, executive director of The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, said: “By giving health visitors the tools and confidence to recognise when a baby may need extra support, we can help parents and carers better understand their baby’s cues and nurture those vital early relationships which we know can have such a positive impact on life-long wellbeing.”
The visit follows the Centre's announcement of a further £250,000 investment over three years to support wider adoption of the approach.
The funding will help develop training resources and guidance, alongside a national network offering professional support.
The programme has already undergone two pilot phases involving ten NHS sites, with the aim of helping more families access support during the earliest years of their children's lives.
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