Health Visitors always being bashed

I am also a health visitor and it’s hard to see how much we are vilified and disrespected and hated. It definitely does not help morale in regards - it’s given me insight into how we are discussed.

@Dianne it’s awful isn’t it. I know that most people don’t actually know what we do so they comment based on a snapshot of what they see but I always pride myself on being reasonable and not being like a teacher with my families and working with them and I know some old school staff may not be that way but there’s no need to bash us

I personally have had a really good experience with our health visitor and even the lady’s at the clinic have been very helpful and pleasant however everyone else I know (minus one friend) has had a really bad time with them, unwanted comments, not helpful and overall shaming them. To be completely honest I was really worried after my little boy to have them but luckily she was great and super helpful. It’s a shame other people don’t have the same experience x

I’m not a HV but just wanted to say I really feel for you. I’ve had nothing but positive experiences with your services, as have many of my friends, but I think people are quicker to bash on here than to praise.

I’m sorry as a profession you see and hear these things. For me personally, I appreciated my HV team so much and I’ll always be grateful for the help and support I have received. I know I’m only 1, but keep doing the great work you do🥰

@Louise agree with you so much!

It's really hard being a health professional on here, I'm a radiographer so I get stung by the people bashing sonographers and scans! But it's no where near the flack that HVs get I think the issue is the maternity service (and NHS on the whole) in the UK is absolutely on its knees, made more clear by the birth trauma inquiry released this year. It has become even more apparent that there are multiple failings for birthing people and their families from early pregnancy through to infancy. Remember when someone is talking about the bad experience they had with their health visitor, it wasn't you! Just do everything you can to support your services users in the best possible way, and know that you're not a part of the problem.

@Charley thanks it’s very true I think people see all the bad stuff in the media then maybe have a not perfect experience with a HV then lump us all together. I have managed HVs and got complaints from service users and often just changing the HV helped because it was maybe a clash of personalities. Clients certainly never realise we have like 300 families to care for

@Charley i definitely have to agree with the NHS being on its knee’s howeever I was treated disgracefully by the maternity unit, absolutely no compassion at all. I work in the NHS too, we are busy, tired and over worked but I would never dream of speaking to any patient the way I was spoken to by the midwives at the hospital. You put your fake smile on and you see the next one, it’s tough but when you’re dealing with vulnerable women/families/ people, you have to be professional not out right nasty! That’s nothing to do with money. I wish I was speaking on just one midwife too! It was most of them in the MAU I attended x

@Amy oh absolutely! I never said there weren't terrible people working in the NHS or that people weren't treated badly! I have seen it first hand too.

@Charley it’s sad really. Those are the ones that fearmonger the rest of the patients . I’d be terrified to have another baby at that hospital! X

my health visitor has been excellent! although I have hardly seen her as due to low staffing she has not been able to complete most of the reviews! we saw her a lot in the very early days and she was so reassuring and complimentary of us

@Louise this is it - if they had an insight into how many families we carry, the lack of support we have due to low staffing, the pressure we are under. It’s so sad.

I admire the noble work health visitors do. I’ve noticed that a lot people who HV bash are just disgruntled (and sometimes perhaps a tad over sensitive) about an external person commenting on their parenting. Or they are just upset that they can’t get an immediate fix. I think most people know much of the advice given by health visitors is well intentioned and in line with the best available evidence. Unfortunately it’s the very vocal minority that are the problem. Don’t let the bastards get you down.

@Amy yeh I had a similar experience on a maternity ward with my first and I would never speak to patients like that but I would never tarnish a whole profession based on one unit. It’s just really sad and demoralising when we work so damn hard