"Standards significantly short of what is expected"

The standard of care/ support from the Blantyre health visiting team has fallen significantly short of what is expected, causing unnecessary stress, avoidable worry, and leaving me with no confidence in the support provided.

My experience was that of a service operating under a one-size-fits-all approach, with little regard for the preferences of my family. Interactions felt more like a box-ticking exercise than a genuine effort to understand and support us as individuals. This impersonal and non person-cantered approach failed to build trust or foster a meaningful relationship with the service.

During one visit, unsolicited advice was given regarding an older sibling. This was unrelated to the purpose of the appointment and was provided without context and was not requested. Instead of being supportive, it was intrusive (and very much) -  The book says you should do this. 

We experienced a lack of appropriate and accurate advice in relation to the number of dirty nappies our newborn had in one day. This caused significant worry and distress, leading us to seek further medical advice from our GP. We were subsequently reassured there was no cause for alarm — a reassurance that should have been provided by the health visiting team in the first place.

Furthermore, I observed and experienced an apparent disparity in the way new mothers and fathers are treated. In our experience, Dad experienced a very informal and relaxed approach. Whereas Mum was subjected to a disproportionate level of scrutiny throughout the period of time we engaged with the health visiting team in Blantyre. This inequitable treatment created an environment that was neither supportive nor conducive to the wellbeing of our family. 

The role of a health visiting team should be to provide consistent, respectful, and unbiased support to all parents.  My recent experience has unfortunately fallen far short of this standard.