I feel like I need teaching how to play with him as he is still very much a “newborn blob” when it comes to communication.
Now that's a very valuable insight. He is not old enough to communicate in the ways you want to communicate and you need to learn to how to communicate on his level.
But I struggle to play with him as he gives nothing back, if I show him pictures in a book he takes the book to throw it, if I try to build stuff he just pulls the blocks and uses them himself.
He's a year old. Being read to is dull for a one year old. Looking at pictures doesn't mean anything. Instead try singing to him or nursery rhymes. And not many at a time. And put one or two physical movements in that he can copy or you can move his hands for him (but only one or two and nothing complicated.) Pick him up and dance round the floor with him.
One of our family games for a baby sitting in the high chair was "How big are you? So big!" Say it in a singsong voice and when you say "so big!" raise his arms or raise your own arms for baby to copy (do whichever one works best) And smile of course. I can't remember what age we start but it's that kind of simple thing.
Get yourself one of those "baby play" books that show roughly age appropriate games. Try them out. Keep doing the ones he enjoys - he wont enjoy all of them. Those games all develop motor and communcation skills. As for doing the same thing all the time, yes of course. He's practicing.
He doesn’t know I’m his mum, I’m just there.
That defines Mum - just there 
I am doing is just dreading another mundane silent day of putting blocks in a tray and it isn’t exactly how I thought I’d feel during motherhood
You're bored. There aren't all that many fun things to do with a one year old and you have to do the same ones over and over. I would be bored out of my skull doing that all day too, luckily DS went to nursery where the two year olds think it's the biggest fun ever for a baby to throw a toy out of the pram and the two year olds get it and the baby throws it again, endlessly. Don't project you being fed up into into something being wrong with him.
My HV told me to carry on talking to him when he’s playing but I am struggling. It literally is talking to myself because he doesn’t even look up when I say anything. So we’re just sat in silence until he makes a noise.
Now is a good time for you to practice descriptive commenting. Just give a running commentary on what he's doing in a cheerful friendly voice. "Now you've got a spoon. It's the big spoon. You are waving it. You are looking at it. You put the bowl in your mouth. You have got another spoon - that's two spoons. Now you're banging them and what a noise! That is fun. Now you have let the spoons go - crash!". This skill will come in very handy later on, when you want to encourage him to do new things and build bonds.
She knows I need help and guidance with certain things but she dwells on that to use it as an excuse to takeover then call me a waste of space etc.
Ah. Then you'll need to deal with your mother and the damage she has done to you and is still doing to you. Drugs wont fix that. Therapy?
He can’t even put shapes in a shape sorter toy.
I just googled and shape sorter age is 18 months-2 years. According to another site you can let your baby play with one from 1 year but you would need to help and the baby probably wouldn't be able to do it.
I’m not angry at him for not being able to talk, I’m just worried.
But all your emotions turn to worry. You only have one emotion and that's not healthy.
Would I be best off voicing the concerns to the nursery or waiting and seeing
Nah, if you do send him to nursery say nothing to them. They'll tell you if there's a concern early on.
Look after yourself 