To think that this text is not a replacement for a health visitor?

[CuteOrangeElephant]

I hope this picture is visible.

Health visiting in my area has been completely done away with to the point that there is not even a two year check.

Instead we get the occasional nugget of wisdom via text message, with no ability to reply.

AIBU to think that this is completely unacceptable and will eventually lead to children falling down the cracks?

When i had my 3, we saw the health visitor on day 11 (if we were home from hospital) and close to their first birthday, nothing after that unless you got in tough with them.

Health visitors need to focus on children with needs. There are not enough of them and sadly too many kids whose welfare should be their main priority.

But how do they know which are those children if they don't see people? I had postnatal psychosis with dc1 followed by pnd. I was also diagnosed with ptsd at roughly the same time due to a previous trauma. I'm still under the adult mental health team (although with cuts there I can't remember the last time I saw a psychiatrist either). I should have as a minimium here (Scotland) seen a HV at 8 months and 13-15 months, I haven't. I could walk past our hv and she wouldn't have a clue who my dd was. Luckily my mental health has been a lot better this time around but if it wasn't, they couldn't intervene because they wouldn't know.

I thought the HVs were rubbish until I got put under the care of one and she explained that out of all the women at the various clinics I'd been to, only one was an actual HV (who was good). The other 19/20 staff were healthcare assistant types or admin, with qualifications ranging from zero to not much, but big gobs on them and all implying they were HVs.

Dc1 got a 1 year check at 18 months and dd never got any checks after her 6 week one, though I happened to go regularly to a breastfeeding group mainly for social contact and have a HV check on me until about 9 months. This was 7-10 years ago and it wasn't me falling out of the system - the system has been creaking for years.

My first HV was absolutely shocking. Didn't see her after I informed her that DS would not be going to the clinic after he was 4 months old because I was going back to work, because her tone was pretty much disdain that I was going back to work as we weren't managing as well as we thought we would on maternity pay and DHs pay.

Second was worth her weight in gold, an older woman (late 40s early 50s) who noticed my post natal anxiety and organised for me to get out and do things to help, including taking me to a local group and ensuring I was registered for baby massage classes/weaning sessions.

Mine was shocking too Elle she said "What religion shall I put?" on DD's notes and I said "None" and she said "Aww...really?? I'll just put CofE then."

What??

Ours asked us how to spell "Russia". In the context of her drawing a family tree (??).

There were two HV in one area I lived in.

I found them unhelpful, judgemental commenting negatively on our house and children's age gap and full of misinformation.

I know others who found them vital to getting their children to correct services and other who found them massive road blocks who actively hindered that. Sometimes that was same conditions and same HV.

It seemed so very random in how useful they were.

However I do agree with OP removing the service completely or cutting it to the bone so it’s no longer useful with nothing to replace it will mean more children falling through the cracks and many others having longer delays till nurseries and school pick up issues.

This is interesting! I swear she introduced herself as the health visitor BUT a quick stalk on LinkedIn suggests she's got an nvq in child development: "Children's Care, Learning and Development L3"

. Definitely, definitely no midwives or nursing background (which I guessed because of her age, she's simply not old enough, and mentioned her driving Holiday to France/Spain being easy because partner would do the driving - you have to be 25 to rent the car).

I've possibly imagined her title basically, she might have said something like "from the health visitor team" but to a layperson like me I'm not sure I'd have picked up the difference when we were handed over to her by the other woman?
I'm not sitting here wondering if we've ever actually had a fully qualified HV out if the 4 we've seen?!?

@8by8 you will have seen a community nursery nurse. They work as part of the HV team but are trained in child development rather than health.

All health visitors are qualified nurses or midwives first who then do an additional years training in public health nursing before qualifying.

Who you saw was either not a health visitor, or a health visitor who also happened to be a nanny previously.

My son was born in Spain and they have no such thing as "health visitors". However the quality of care he received was INCREDIBLE.

Every local GP surgery has a paediatric doctor and appointments are scheduled regularly (daily after initial discharge from hospital going off to weekly, fortnightly, monthly....of course assuming there are no issues). I found these appointments invaluable, informative and highly reassuring.

Back home in the UK and I don't rate HVs at all (conflicting advice, lack of knowledge re: typical child development). If it were up to me I'd scrap them.

Eric is a legit organisation but no sub for parents who struggle to even be able to research such things.

Wow, this thread makes me greatful that I live in a Flying Start area

@HotChocWithCream (and other pp's) you have absolutely no idea about the role of the HV if you think that.

Just because your HV wasn't beneficial to you, doesn't mean they aren't for others. They are a huge part of children's services. The biggest chunk of the job is safeguarding and working with vulnerable families.

How do you think social care become involved with families and children who need them most? They don't just wait for the child to get to school before issues are raised, and the damage is done. Visits in the home give such a good insight into a family.

All they want to do is keep children safe and well, some are better than others, this is the same with all professions.

Some people are very clued up, maybe they're professionals, maybe they're into parenting forums like Mumsnet and enjoy doing their research. Some people have fantastic support systems IRL. This, unfortunately, is not the case for everyone. I'm so happy that you were ok, but not everyone is and they are the kinds of people that HV's are there for.

My HV was useless, only visited once when midwife stopped coming, I went to get ds weighed a couple of times. She knew our situation, that I was coping with a new baby & newly disabled husband, that I had severe pnd. She never offered any help, referred me to surestart or told me anything about health eating vouchers which would have helped.

Live in Canada.

Had a visit from a pediatric nurse two days after both kids were born. Other than that, no-one visiting the house at all. Obviously had vaccinations, follow up appointments, but these were at the hospital /doctors office, never at home.

DD was born in Leeds and the HV (and indeed midwife) service was shocking!! It still makes me so angry that we received no help whatsoever.
I never met my HV as she always always ill or couldn't make it or it was snowing. I didn't even know her name. Likewise, my midwife retired after my booking app and I didn't have a single point of contact.
I came home one day when DD was a couple of months old to a note under the door saying HV had been round (unscheduled) and would be in touch. I never heard from her again.
We moved up north shortly after and as soon as we were registered at the doctor's, the HV was round like a shot and told me where all the local clinics and groups were and how to find help if I needed it. A vast difference. It's sad that women are being let down dependent on where they live.