1st June 2026
We are delighted to share this Voices blog by Rachael Jay, Health Visitor Team Manager at Cornwall Council. In this piece, Rachael reflects on her professional journey and the experiences that inspired her to write her poem, The Gentle Power of Before, which she presented at our recent Evidence-based Practice Conference.
Below, you can watch Rachael’s conference presentation and read her poem.
Rachael Jay, Health Visitor Team Manager Cornwall Council
There are moments in our careers that quietly reshape how we see our work. For me, one of those moments came unexpectedly at 3 o’clock in the morning, when I found myself writing a poem: The Gentle Power of Before.
This poem wasn’t planned; it came from reflection on my journey in practice, my leadership, and, ultimately, my why.
Starting with ‘why’
At the recent iHV Evidence-based Practice conference in Bournemouth, I spoke about something simple but grounding: when our work feels complex or heavy, it is our why that steadies us.
My own “why” began with an idea that the early years are the most important window in a child’s life. Health visiting gave me the opportunity to work with families at a time when early support can change outcomes for a lifetime – building trust, strengthening confidence, and helping parents feel less alone.
As I moved into leadership, that “why” evolved. It became about the team I lead as well as the families we serve – because the care families receive is shaped by how supported and confident our teams feel. My role as a Team Manager is about creating an environment where people feel valued and connected to purpose.
Leadership and the ripple effect
Leadership, in my experience, is less about directing people and more about shaping the conditions in which they can thrive. The culture we create has a direct impact on the care delivered to families.
This became clear when we were asked to reflect on whether our antenatal offer was reaching families early enough. When I stepped forward to lead this work, what stood out most was the team’s response.
I expected hesitation, but instead I saw engagement and motivation. The reason was simple – the “why” was clear. When people understand the purpose behind change, they don’t just accept it, they actively bring it to life.
That experience reinforced something important for me: asking “What is your why?” goes beyond reflection – it acts as an anchor. It keeps us steady through challenges and reconnects us with the purpose behind early intervention.
The story behind the poem
The Gentle Power of Before was written after reflecting on my journey – beginning in health visiting, stepping into paediatric emergency care, and then returning again.
In emergency care, I experienced the “after” trauma, urgency, and the consequences of when things go wrong. Those moments that stay with you. They sharpen your understanding of why prevention matters.
When I returned to health visiting, I saw my role differently. The poem captures that shift from reacting to harm, to preventing it. From hospital wards, back to the front doors of families’ homes. From crisis to connection.
It reflects a simple but powerful truth:
- Support before despair
- Connection before collapse
- Safety before harm
Why these matter
Health visiting sits at the heart of preventative public health. Much of what we do happens quietly, through conversations, relationships, and trust built over time – but its impact is profound.
The same applies to leadership. The environments we create today shape the outcomes we see tomorrow. When teams and families feel supported and connected to their purpose, everyone benefits.
Staying connected to our “why” is what helps us navigate pressure, complexity, and change. It keeps us focused on what truly matters.
A final reflection
Writing The Gentle Power of Before helped me reconnect with my own purpose. It reminded me that within every role, every team, and every career, there is a “why” that drives us forward.
So, I’ll leave you with the question that I continue to return to, personally and as a leader:
What is your why?
Because when you understand it, hold onto it, and lead with it – we don’t just do the work. We strengthen it for families, for teams, and for the future.
Rachael Jay, Health Visitor Team Manager Cornwall Council
Listen to Rachael recite her poem The Gentle Power of Before at our EBP conference:
The Gentle Power of Before – By Rachael Jay
As a Health Visitor, I learned the quiet art of noticing
listening, guiding, holding hope.
The weight of a newborn’s breath against my arm,
the tremble in a mother’s voice,
the courage it takes to ask for help.
I learned that healing begins at home:
in trust built softly,
in listening before the cry.A decade spent weighing tiny hands
and heavier stories,
helping families grow steady roots.
Then the turn—
two years post-qualifying sliding into
ten months beneath hospital lights:
Paediatric Emergency,
where trauma breathes quick
and time forgets to move.
Where I learned to mend breaks,
to stitch the torn edges
of what once was whole.I heard the cerebral cry
of a baby shaken by the world’s worst kind of storm;
the dreaded red phone
slicing the air with a cardiac call.
Once, I froze—
fear pinning my feet to the cold floor
as tiny lives hung in fragile balance.So I found my way back—
to where prevention begins,
to the doorsteps instead of the ward.
I carried those stories home with me,
not as weight,
but as fuel.Back to health visiting.
Back to the gentle power of before.Now I teach safety before harm,
support before despair,
connection before collapse.
I plant the seeds of safety
long before the storm can form—
because I’ve seen what happens after.
Because I know what can be lost.
Because this is my why.
