SUPPORT for new mothers and mums-to-be across Lancashire is going virtual in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The county council's Lancashire Healthy Young People and Families Service is to offer digital sessions to parents and carers who prior to the Covid-19 crisis would have been visiting baby clinics or having other face-to-face contact with health visitors.

Topics include Introducing Solid Foods, Infant Feeding Sessions, Antenatal Infant Feeding Sessions, Ready Steady School and Chat, Read and Play.

The service, delivered by Virgin Care, is currently piloting the groups with a number of parents and carers using the Webex platform.

Cllr Shaun Turner, Lancashire County Council's cabinet health and boss, said: "The coronavirous outbreak means we need to provide support in different ways.

"It's great that Virgin Care is offering virtual baby clinics.

"With these clinics, parents will be able to get vital support from trained professionals and families will be able to have virtual meetings, making it much easier to share information and support each other."

Michelle Lee, managing director for Virgin Care in Lancashire, said: “The virtual groups will provide another forum for parents and carers to come together on a video call, get advice from a health professional and talk to other people going through the same experience which should provide some welcome extra support at this difficult time.”