Nursery World - Parents still struggling to access 'essential' services

According to new research from a group of charities, many routine health visitor checks continue to be over the phone, drop-in clinics are no longer operating in some areas and baby and toddler groups have either stopped running or are hard to access.

The report - 'No one wants to see my baby' - highlights how many 'essential' services during pregnancy and beyond aren't as accessible as they were pre-Covid

The report from the Parent-Infant Foundation, Home-Start UK and parenting charity Best Beginnings, reveals parents are still experiencing problems accessing face-to-face medical care, as well as community baby groups and continue to have reduced contact with health visitors - all of which they say are taking a ‘toll’ on their mental health.

‘No-one wants to see my Baby’ - a follow-up to the 2020 ‘Babies in Lockdown’ report - is based upon in-depth interviews with parents and a survey of 224 professionals and volunteers.

More than a quarter (28 per cent) of those surveyed said that health visiting routine checks remain mainly on the phone or online, limiting opportunities to keep babies safe.

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