Support is just a text message away
Text advice line, Let’s Chat 0-5, gives parents and carers fast, easy access to expert advice when it’s needed most. It means families do not have to wait for an appointment to ask questions about their child’s health and development. Instead they can simply send a text.
Our Health Visiting Service receives about 3,000 inquiries a month, with 14 per cent of these now going to Let’s Chat 0-5.
Health Visiting Programme Manager Sonia Hedegaard said: “Many queries can be cleared up with a simple text reply, meaning we can give parents peace of mind quickly. “We’ve had fantastic feedback from families, with them saying the service has been helpful, leaving them feeling confident and reassured.”
Marion, mum to four-year old Louie sent a text about her son’s hearing. She said: “I was worried he couldn’t hear properly because sometimes I’ve had to shout to
get his attention. I really liked using the Let’s Chat text service, I got a reply straight away and an appointment organised within a week to check his hearing. Luckily his hearing seems completely fine and was probably affected by a cold he’d recently had, so that’s really reassuring for me.”
Charlotte, mum of six-month-old baby Harriet, said: “I can’t fault the Let’s Chat service; it was absolutely fantastic. With a young baby, worries come up a lot and etting advice from the internet would leave me worrying even more. Being told that the things we were experiencing were totally normal was really reassuring. Being able to text made it so easy, I could do it while my daughter napped on me rather than having to book a GP visit.”
First-time mum to baby Freya, Katherine said: “I wanted advice on how to switch my baby from formula to cow’s milk coming up to her first birthday. It was so convenient being able to ask a simple question using Let’s Chat. I feel like I have a plan now and am happy to get some straight forward advice to help us with this next phase.”
Have a concern about your child who is aged 0 to 5? Text our Let's Chat service: 07312 263368.
