Healthy Child Wales Programme: percentage of eligible children with recorded contacts, by quarter and local health board
Next update expected:19 November 2025
Updates
- 25th February 2026
This update includes the latest quarterly data.
- 19th November 2025
- 5th November 2025
- Dataset first published.
Main information
- Designation
- Management information
- Data provider
- Digital Health and Care Wales (DHCW)
- Data source
- National Community Child Health Database (NCCHD)
- Time period covered
- October 2016 to October 2025
Overview
- Summary of dataset and variables
The Healthy Child Wales Programme (HCWP) specifies nine contacts with health professionals at set points in time for children in Wales aged between 10 days and 3.5 years. Local health boards (LHB) should offer these contacts to all children in Wales.
The source of the data is the National Community Child Health Database (NCCHD); a database maintained by Digital Health and Care Wales (DHCW). The data is extracted routinely from LHB-held Child Health System databases. Data is for all children: includes children defined as receiving Flying Start services and not receiving Flying Start using their flying start postcode coverage.
- Data collection or calculation
In this dataset, quarter refers to calendar year quarter.
From 1st April 2019 health service provision for residents of Bridgend local authority moved from Abertawe Bro Morgannwg to Cwm Taf. The health board names have changed with Cwm Taf University health board becoming Cwm Taf Morgannwg University health board and Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University health board becoming Swansea Bay health board.
- Statistical quality
Data from Q1 2020 (January to March 2020) onwards was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time, many health visitors were redeployed to support hospitals, and health boards were advised to prioritise only the 10 to 14 day, 6 week, and later 6 month contacts. Other contacts were carried out where possible, often by phone or virtually, but these were not always recorded in the usual way. Guidance issued in March 2020 confirmed this prioritisation, with further advice in May to gradually reinstate additional contacts and in August to return to the full schedule. However, as infection rates rose again in December 2020, health boards were told to risk assess reduction of services, while still maintaining the key contacts at 10 to14 days, 6 weeks, and 6 months. Data for this period should be interpreted with these changes in mind.
Caution is advised when interpreting data for the 6 week GP appointment and the 8 week immunisation appointment, as there is a known data quality issue. The data presented is an under-count of the actual activity taking place. The issue is caused by the paper-based data collection process not being fully implemented. Steps have been taken to improve data quality, and further measures will continue to be actioned until data is more reliable.
There is a known data quality issue for Q2 2022 (April to June) data. The percentage of children receiving contacts in Aneurin Bevan at each contact point apart from 6 weeks is an undercount of the true activity which took place. This issue has been caused by a delay in processing data collection forms in the health board and the health board is working to resolve it. The overall Wales figures are also affected.
There was a data quality issue during Q1 2024 (January to March). There was strike action by health visitors on 26th February 2024 in Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health board which included not inputting any statistical data for the health board or Welsh Government. This may have affected figures for the Q1 2024 (January to March).
Published by
- Organisation
- Welsh Government
- Contact email
- stats.healthinfo@gov.wales