Stowmarket mum shares experience of health visitor delays as Suffolk County Council responds to Covid staff sickness

A recovery plan is in place after ‘small delays’ to developmental assessments for babies and toddlers in Bury St Edmunds, Stowmarket and other areas of the county.

On Facebook the Bury St Edmunds Health and Children’s Centres and the Stowmarket equivalent, posted in August, notifying parents and carers that some of their teams were still trying to ‘catch up’ with their one and two year developmental checks following the Covid-19 pandemic.

The post asked for parents to ‘bear with’ health visiting teams during any possible delays and to get in contact with any concerns.

A first-time mum from Stowmarket has described the impact delays with developmental checks can have on parents and children.

Peggy Norman, 24, had to chase for a one year developmental check for her son after he was not seen by the health visiting team between the age of eight weeks to 18 months.

Miss Norman's son was born in December 2019 and, after his first birthday, she tried to get in touch with the Stowmarket Health and Children's Centre team to arrange his one year check.

Despite this, Miss Norman's son wasn't seen until he was 18 months old after the Suffolk health visiting team sent an apology saying he had been missed.

Routine contact with health visitors should take place for every family and child: antenatally, 10 to 14 days after birth, between six to eight weeks of age, one year of age, and between two to two and a half years of age.

In their recent Facebook post Stowmarket Health and Children Centre Service, said many teams were able to offer appointments as planned, however two year checks were being offered when children reach around 27 months old.

Miss Norman said: "We've been through lockdown which made everything lonely anyway.

"We used to go to classes and meet other mums and babies and you could see where other babies of a similar age were compared to yours.

"The teachers would give you ideas of what to do at home to enhance certain areas like tracking and rolling, but when Covid hit all classes stopped so you didn't really know what activities were actually beneficial and helping."

When Miss Norman took her son for his developmental check at 18 months she said she was concerned when she was told his speech was delayed.

She explained: "I felt guilty and I put the blame on myself, then I felt angry because they could have seen him six months earlier and spotted it."

Since then Miss Norman's son has had his two year check and she has gone on to have a baby girl in October 2021.

She said with her daughter, the trainee health visitor they saw was 'amazing' and visited regularly to support Miss Norman and her family.

In the Stowmarket Mums - Bumps, Babies and Children Facebook group, Helen Roberts, who was previously under the Stowmarket health visiting team, said: "I absolutely cannot fault the health visiting team, we saw them every month from birth to 12 months.

"This was due to mine and my son's complex needs and our 12 month review was right on time."

Councillor, James Reeder, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People’s Services at Suffolk County Council, said: “Whilst our performance in delivering these routine contacts continues to remain strong, as a service we have recently seen a rise in staff sickness due to COVID.

“We are managing our staffing resources flexibly across our team and we have a robust recovery plan in place to address the small delays in conducting some of our one and two year developmental assessments that have arisen in a few areas of the county as a consequence.

“Where there are concerns about a child’s health or development, these assessments are being prioritised and the recovery plan in place will resolve all delays in these contacts during the next few months.”

Across Suffolk, there are currently 65 full time equivalent health visitors, 28 full time equivalent staff nurses, and 83 full time equivalent healthy child practitioners.

Children and families that need additional support are seen more frequently according to their needs.

If no additional needs have been identified, families are advised to contact the health and and children's centre service for support via email on: childrenshealth@suffolk.gov.uk, by texting: 07312277020, or calling: 03456078866.