Health visitor shortages are risking child health and piling pressure on other services

When Phillippa Guillou had her daughter in 2020, she was determined to breastfeed, but it was painful and there were problems with latching. She tried calling and texting her health visitor for help but got nowhere. Two months later she received a response and a referral for tongue tie, but by then she’d had to start using formula milk. “I was really upset about breastfeeding. I didn’t have any friends or a network that could help me—and when I called a charity, they said there aren’t any services locally, can you pay for a private consultation? But it was £200, and I didn’t have the money. I’m still sad about it.”Guillou, who lives in west London, had also struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder from the birth and did not see the health visitor again until the baby’s one year review—which was done by video call due to continuing covid-19 restrictions…
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