28th May 2020
A lovely poem by Lisa Broom for this Voices blog – to highlight that health visitors are still here, still supporting families during the pandemic and are so vital for so many families. Lisa Broom is a health visitor in Luton, working for Cambridge Community NHS Trust – where she has worked for 6.5 years both as a student HV and a health visitor.
Lisa Broom Health Visitor in Luton, working for Cambridge Community NHS Trust
Lisa says:
“I work in Luton and have been lucky enough to be able to continue working with my families during this difficult time. We are busier than ever especially with such a vulnerable community. I work with a wonderful team who have during the current pandemic have been working so hard at supporting families by telephone, video and face to face visiting.
“I wrote the poem to boost the team and to shout about what we as health visitors are doing, I wanted to reassure parents that we were still here and still able to support them.”
In this difficult time
Supporting families always on our minds
Telephone, video, face to face, We are still here
To reassure, support, guide and have that listening ear
New parents, new life arriving in a world without precious family support
Grandparents, aunts and uncles all missing but deep in new parents’ thoughts
The anxiety and struggle of loving a new life alone can send parents into a muddle
We are here more than ever, we will help you, please don’t struggle
Life has changed for so many
Family stresses are real with no school, no routine, unemployment high
With many families short of pounds and pennies
Home is not always a safe place for so many
You are not alone, we are here
We are not all in the same boat, Some are bobbing along a gentle stream
Some are navigating troubled waters
Some are toppling over with sons and daughters
Some have holes in every side and sinking fast
But we are here, desperately trying to help keep your family boat afloat
Your Health Visitor is here for you, we have not gone away
We are still at then end of the phone
Please do not struggle alone
Lisa Broom Health Visitor in Luton, Cambridge Community NHS Trust
Do you have a story/case study to share?
We have a call for case studies at the moment, to capture the stories, workarounds, innovation and rapid learning that has taken place in the health visiting service since the country went into lockdown in March.
We plan to publish these in a special edition of our case study series as a record of this time when history is being made. Capturing your experiences in this way will help us celebrate your successes, learn from each other and provide a legacy for future generations to reflect on.
We are looking for Service level case studies, Family stories or Creative submissions (such as the lovely poem above) – deadline is 29 June 2020.
