Information about postnatal home visiting is presented from a postal survey of all directors of midwifery in English NHS districts, carried out in April and May 1991. The main finding was that almost all districts had changed from the traditional policy of daily home visits up to the tenth postnatal day to selective home visits by midwives. What was meant by 'selective' varied greatly, however, and the study highlighted the need to carry out audits of postnatal midwifery visiting.