Leeds public health nurse claims repeat home visits needlessly putting families at risk from Covid-19

Public health nurses in Leeds have been told to visit homes of clients classed as non urgent cases as Covid-19 is rising in the city and a local lockdown has been put in place, it has been claimed.

Public health nurses are responsible for safeguarding children, supporting parents, health promotion and ensuring children's development is on track.

The Leeds Community Healthcare nurse, who does not want to be named, said she and her colleagues had been conducting telephone interviews with clients classed as non urgent cases since the start of lockdown in March.

She said managers at Leeds Community Healthcare said face to face visits would have to start again on September 14.

There are three categories of clients: universal, where there are no concerns for welfare; universal plus, where there are no concerns for welfare but families need extra support and universal partnership plus, where there are safeguarding concerns.

She said since March, public health nurses have been doing telephone interviews with universal clients, but from Sept 14 they have been told they have to do home visits again.

The nurse said: "We offer three contacts to universal families and I can see there is a benefit from seeing the family at least once face to face.

"If I go into a house where there's no concern whatsoever and the parents have got no concerns, why am I having to go back twice more and put myself and my family at risk and my clients and new born babies at risk when I as a practitioner have identified from one face to face contact that there are no concerns?

"Why do I need to go back twice more? Why can't that be my decision and the client's decision.

"I want to protect children and help families as much as I can. It seems pointless going to see families more than once where I have no concerns and increase the risk of spreading Covid-19 for everybody."

"It is very important that we do visit those families where there is a safeguarding concern. But universal familiess could be offered the choice.

"We are not an emergency service, we are an additional service. We are now in local lockdown and we have got a situation where one health visitor is going back into 20 houses in a week."

Paula Stewart, 0-19 Public Health Integrated Nursing Service Manager for Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust, said: “In response to the pandemic the service continues to adapt to meet the needs of children, young people and families across the city

"Our current service delivery does involve home visits alongside a range of virtual support and all our teams are supported with the appropriate PPE and training in order to deliver safe and effective care.

"The safety of children, young people, families and our staff is always our main priority and we continue to review our practice in line with national guidance.”