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Original poster

So what is the point of Health Visitors?

455 replies

wonderstuff · 18/10/2010 14:43

I've seen 3 so far, they all seem very nice, but really not very useful.

Today lovely lady came by, did PND questionnaire, weighed my baby. Talked about weaning - advised that some babies (especially boys) are ready for weaning at 4 months, to be aware of him taking interest in us eating Hmm couldn't give any advise about BLW as no reseach has been done and she doesn't want to get sued - fair enough, but seemed strange that on the weaning age she was willing to contradict research evidence. She also warned of 'missing weaning window at 6 months' I didn't ask what would happen - will I end up bfeeding forever, Little Britain style? Told me breastfeeding was tiring (there was me thinking it was the lack of sleep that was knackering but presumbably if I bottle fed I'd have much more energy?) She stayed for half an hour.

Really what is the point - could money be better spend on Midwifery or Social care?

OP posts:
onceamai · 19/10/2010 08:33

Good, useful or not, the bit I still don't understand is why new mothers are not advised that the service is optional. There is no legal obligation at all to see a health visitor. I made a formal comlaint about my HV (who incidentally Jaffa Cake pushed me into six months of clinical pnd with her insensitive comments at a time when I was becoming very ill with infective mastitis and then a breast abscess) it resulted in the LA appointing its first bf counsellor on the basis that m/w's and h/v's had no business telling mothers they MUST breastfeed if they had no sensible or evidence based research on which to base their views. Shortly before 2nd child I wrote to the LA as previously agreed and confirmed that I would not accept a visit from a health visitor and had no wish to visit them in their clinics.

I did not have pnd with second child but by then I knew the system and even for the m/wives I made it very clear that I was prepared to see no more than 2 unlike the first time when 6 trailed through my home in 10 days dragging three students with them too.

There are good HV's but there are still far too many very poor ones and IMO it is time to take an objective decision - either those at risk get a proper service and Baby P's and all the others like him going back much further than Maria Colwell are provided with effective support or a great deal more money is put into it to provide a far higher quality of service for all mothers. I just think the service needs to be offered more realistically.

And, finally, 15 years on I still feel upset when I remember the first months with my ds and that could have been avoided if an experienced and sensible hv had turned up when he was 12 days old.

melikalikimaka · 19/10/2010 08:39

When DS2 was just born, I asked her about DS1 constant bedwetting, she said that I shouldn't worry until he gets to 7 years old! I sorted it myself, bought an alarm system and cured him in 2 weeks. HV wouldn't supply this for another 2.5 years! Gobsmacked.

poobumfartbollocks · 19/10/2010 09:23

I have had 4 kids and numerous HV's.

One was fab - still remember her telling me there was definitely something wrong with DD1 and to go and camp in the surgery and she would get her seen. I'd broken down on her and begged her to come out to see how DD1 fed, she was a nightmare. And the BF specialist midwife had come out the day before and reduced me to tears telling me there was "no clinical reason" why I couldn't successfully feed DD1 (who is DC3).

And I did cheer when my HV phoned me all gung ho to tell me (after DD1 had been diagnosed with multiple food intolerances) that she'd seen the BF Nazi woman in the corridor, and stopped her to say "Remember poobum, you told her that there was no reason for her not being able to feed DD1? Well......"

She was lovely.

The HV with DD2 however was about as much use as a chocolate teapot.

She had a son with SN and spent her whole time looking for problems. Cue many visits to paeds, specialists, till I went into the doctor and said "Look there is nothing wrong with DD2 is there?" He gave her a full once over, agreed with me, and said I didn't need to see the nutty HV ever again.

MaMoTTaT · 19/10/2010 09:24

melika - that's perfectly common practice.

IF you'd gone to the GP it's extremely unlikely you'd have got a referral to the enuresis clinic before he was 7.

MaMoTTaT · 19/10/2010 09:26

evne if your DS had already been 7 she would have told you to get an appointment with your GP to rule out any other causes, and then he would have referred you on to the clinic, who also probably wouldn't have supplied the alarm straight away before going through some other stuff first.

melikalikimaka · 19/10/2010 09:36

Well, MaMoTTaT, I was sick of his bedroom stinking of piss. He was getting fed up of it, ashamed of himself and the constant showers he had to take. Tried everything before this, eg, not giving him drinks, getting him up in the night etc. I did it for him not so much for me. And I got it cheap from Boots (they don't do them anymore). Job done!

Me with a new baby and a little one who had just started school, wetting the bed, it was not fair on him.

MaMoTTaT · 19/10/2010 09:54

well DS1 is 10 and still wets the bed (As does his best friend it transpired on the YR4 residential last term)

Getting him up in the night would have been one of the first things that the enuresis clinic would have told you to stop doing.

Glad the alarm worked for you - doesn't work for everyone - and certainly not that fast Smile

melikalikimaka · 19/10/2010 10:03

I didn't get any advice but stop giving him drinks after a certain time and making sure he goes for a wee before jumping into bed.

Great, that helped, NOT!

Believe me, it was a miracle before my eyes, and he was over the moon, it meant he could stay over with friends and relatives, with no worries. Try it!

MaMoTTaT · 19/10/2010 10:06

That's because she's a health visitor - not a nurse working in the enuerisis clinic. Who in turn don't take children on until they're 7 for bed wetting issues because of how common it still is up to that age.

Do you think we haven't been given a an alarm to try????

melikalikimaka · 19/10/2010 10:10

It says, if I can remember to give it 6 weeks trial, for a while it didn't seem to work, but come 2-2.5 weeks it suddenly kicked in. He was well on the way, can't you try it again and tell him its permanent. I think gradually it will work, everyone is different. He's 15 now and never looked back.

Look at it this way, what is the alternative?

gardeningmum05 · 19/10/2010 10:11

they are a waste of nhs money in my opinion.
all mine have been useless,all missed 3 bouts of PND and all gave contradicting advice. weaning advise useless,every baby different!
one even told me not to be worried about a 1 year old still having a bottle before bedtime, her 3.5 year old twins had all their drinks from a bottle, whats that all about?

MaMoTTaT · 19/10/2010 10:14

Although actually her initial advise was pretty much what we were given on our first visit to the clinic at 7yrs old.

Increase fluids during the day, last drink 1 1/2hrs before bed, wee-teeth-wee before bed and then help me sort his bed by stripping it. -

Then we we tried the alarm for a while, no improvement.

Then tried the desmo - no improvement.

Left it for a while to give DS1 a break

We do have an alarm at home again to try again - but on hold for now for numerous reasons

melikalikimaka · 19/10/2010 10:24

MaMoTTaT please try again, but just put it out of your mind that it is a treatment. Make him understand it will be there until it cures him. I just looked up Desmo, and gladly didn't get that far. He just might respond now he's that bit older. My heart goes out to you.

MaMoTTaT · 19/10/2010 11:31

melika - there's no need for sympathy (or a lecture). We are doing what is right for us as a family, and for DS1.

It's not about my feelngs on the subject - it's DS1's.

We are going to use the alarm again - just not right now.

melikalikimaka · 19/10/2010 12:58

Do what ever is right for you, I'm not lecturing to anyone, just trying to help. ConfusedBlush

TheJollyPirate · 19/10/2010 13:11

As a HV myself I am NOT offended by these threads beyond being amazed there are not more of them.

Melika - the NHS advice is that we cannot access bed alarms for bedwetters until they are 7 - this is because a fair number of children still wet the bed naturally at that age (all to do with development and being developmentally ready) and many are not ready to be dry. This is not the same in all cases and for your DS it was evidently a deep sleep which was the issue and which the alarm cured.
In my area the HV does not deal with bedwetting but refers into a clinic - who will not take a referral unless the child is 7 as you discovered.
As a HV the large part of my work is spent being a surrogate social worker and following up families where there are serious child protection concerns. With over 800 families on our books and only 2 HV's the normal day to day stuff which we should be doing often gets left for the priority child protection stuff. I LOVE seeing new Mums and babies as it gives me a chance to catch up with the whole family. Likewise I have been able on occasion to drop everything for a Mum ringing me in tears (in one case I spent an hour pacifying a 4 week old so his Mum could have a much needed shower). My ability to be able to give this kind of support is very curtailed by my workload though and that's a shame as I would love to give much better support to families.

thefirstmrsDeVeerie · 19/10/2010 13:28

Thats the problem IMO. Not enough HVs.

The good ones are swamped with Red Flag type situations and the crap ones get away with it because there is no one to replace them.

I think HV is at a low. IME it was great in the 80s/early 90s.

The HVs round her appear to be like their 1950s counterparts. Distant from their client group, distainful of their lifestyles and determined that they 'know best'.

That kind of attitude does not go down well in East London.

No one sees the HV or takes any notice of them. Quite a few really could do with a bit of help but they would rather burn their Uggs than listen to some stuck up know it all.

Its a shame.

MaMoTTaT · 19/10/2010 13:31

No I won't do what's right for me - i'll do what's right for my DS Smile

greenbeanie · 19/10/2010 13:36

I am also a HV, I decided to train as my HV with dc1 was so appalling and I felt that I was in desperate need of support which she was unable to give.

I have worked with good and bad HV's, just like any profession. I think the main problem is lack of staff and huge caseloads often leading to things like PND not being picked up due to lack of time. The recommended caseload for a fulltime HV is 250 children, I work part time with a full time colleague and we have a caseload of 1200 children so much of our time is spent dealing with child protection. However, I do always ensure that clients have contact details and can ring at any time for a chat or to arrange a visit.

I know that when caseloads have been more manageable not only has it been a more enjoyable job but families have found the service far more useful. It is difficult to see what the purpose is when you see a HV so rarely.

samay · 19/10/2010 14:29

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

nymphadora · 19/10/2010 15:30

I met my new one this am. She was nice enough but no 'get up & go' about her. Once she found out what dh & I (Teacher /social care) do she seemed to think we'll be ok.BUT I'm high risk for PND and already been seeing the mental Health MW so I thought she would have been more interested in keeping an eye on me. Just told me when clinic was and suggested I get dd3 weighed next couple of weeks to ensure she is growing.

Good job dh & I are pretty confident that we can spot the depression now.

KenDoddsDadsZombieDogsNotDead · 19/10/2010 15:50

My HV has just left after my DDs 9 month check. She has been superb to me, really supportive when I was inthe first throes of PND. She phoned to check on me, gave me extra visits and never wore judgey pants at all. I'm obviously lucky!

TheJollyPirate · 19/10/2010 16:05

Oh samay - THAT is a terrible reason to refer you to SS. Did the HV realise her service is not compulsory? Terrible.

YorkshireTeaDrinker · 19/10/2010 16:11

Had my first visit from the health visitor (plus student) this morning. She was lovely, I felt we had time to chat and I've flagged issues with her that I haven't raised with the midwife, simply because I felt the HV could give me a little more time.

I can't judge beyond that, as I don't have a baby yet (due in 2 weeks, round here the HV likes to do the first visit pre-birth so you aren't overwhelmed with too much info when your baby arrives). However, I feel confident that I could ask the HV for support should I need it.

If a service isn't good enough, then the solution is to improve it, not ditch it.

ouryve · 19/10/2010 16:19

I've had two with my boys. One was pretty meh, but the other has been absolutely brilliant. She obtained referrals for both of them when it became clear they had special needs and has always been good at listening and learning (and was totally supportive of delayed baby led weaning with DS2 and of extended breastfeeding) Even though the boys are both now school age, she still asks after them when she's doing her clinics at the Surestart attached to their school.