Should I complain about this nurse

She may not have been given the key safe number. And key safe numbers are not always automatically on patient notes.
She also returned to check he was ok. She hadn't forgotten him or abandoned him.
She probably had a list of visits as long as her arm with not enough time to see everyone, let alone get all the notes nurses are required by law to complete otherwise they are penalised. And then the ordering of medication and equipment and referrals that also have to be done, often in nurses own time, unpaid. She probably thought she'd see the other patients she had scheduled and return. And she did return.
I'm struggling to see what the problem is here. I mean, by all means report her if you're feeling particularly vindictive. But as no harm came to the patient and she returned to check on him, I highly doubt anything will happen.

Read her username guys

The biggest thing that jumps out at me from your post @AprilF00L , is does this person have enough care visits a day if they are so vulnerable ? Are they getting four visits a day, do they have family visiting ? Are they safe being left over night ? is being cared for at home the most appropriate or safest setting for them, if you are as worried about their well-being as you appear to be ?
Remember the community nurses might only be visiting once a week for simple wound care, such as a minor skin tear following a fall.

Sounds to me like she was trying to skip this guy’s house and only came back because you saw her. I would report her.

Think im the only one on the OPs side. I don’t know why everyone keeps saying she didn’t have the code, the OP said she did and went in the property twice, unless I have misread.

Some of the carers and nurses were fucking useless with my nana, not bothered to come more than one. Also came and claimed she wasn’t in and had checked every room, she had also been in bed the entire time. I would report.

Not when it's a newly assigned case following hospital discharge. I worked in the community for many years for the NHS - very rarely did we have a keysafe number at initial visit.

Ok, so district nurse here! I just want to clear a few things up.

Firstly, those that have said to report to NMC. That is a little OTT. However, she should at least be reported to her line manager to prevent this from happening again as it unacceptable.

As a district nurse we have a duty of care to ensure the patient we are visiting is safe and we have to check on their well being if we are unable to gain access. We are allowed to gain access using a key safe if it is available. If there is one present but we dont have the number we need to gather this information from NOK, carers, neighbours etc etc. If we are unable to gain access via a key safe we will use the designates contact number to contact the patient. If this fails NOK should be contacted to check on the well being of the patient. Are they in hospital? An alternative placement etc. These will not always be communicated to us. If we are unable to locate patient or gain access then the police would be called to gain access. We should never leave a patient unlocated. Yes, we can visit and revisit later on however, we have to ensure the safety of the patient by the end of the working day.

If we have managed to gain access then all rooms should be checked, all doors opened and the garden checked. If this is done effevtively then it is very difficult to miss a person in their own home unless they are hiding in the loft!!

My advice, find out the nurses work place and report it to the team leader.

Jesus do you want to hang her out to dry?

Can you clarify which of your versions is the correct one so we can respond appropriately? Version 1- nothing wrong. Sounds like a good nurse and very caring as she returned. She was concerned and approached you to check.
Version 2- very different to the first one and sounds like she rushed and neglected a vulnerable patient

NHS nurses do have key safe numbers, a lot of patients can’t get up to answer the door.

Carers and NHS nurses use completely different systems. An NHS nurse would not have a keysafe number like home carers would.

It is certainly worth flagging this. If any of the reasons that people are providing here are the case and justify her not having found him then her managers can identify that and consider whether there changes needed (or not). If there isn’t a good reason her managers can take the appropriate action - whether that’s words of advice or something more serious, and there will be a trail that can be referred to if similar issues happen with other patients.

As a community nurse myself, there are SO many reasons this nurse could have acted the way she did. None of which are her being lazy or not doing her job properly, as you are alluding to OP. You say she was flustered when you saw her again - probably due to the horrendous number of patients she is expected to get round to in her shift, all whilst working through her break and not drinking or peeing all day because she puts her patients first!

Right? Clearly no one on this post has ever been or known a vulnerable person being let down and put in danger because of lazy medical staff or carers who can't be bothered. Unbelievable to call OP a nasty person because she is looking out for her clearly very vulnerable neighbour and trying to make sure he is not being neglected. Apparently standing up for the vulnerable and caring for your neighbour makes you a deeply unpleasant busybody. No wonder people end up dead in their houses undiscovered for years...

The nurse said she checked every room if she couldn't get in surely she would have said i can't get to the key do you know the code or I just cabt get in. To lie and leave is wrong

Wow that’s rubbish. I often get to an immobile patient to find the nurse has visited for a flu jab or something. Key safe has been used for access. They leave us a note.
Our company is also listed on patients information so we can be notified re meds / care changes and also for release from hospital in order to ensure care is provided on their return home.

I disagree, she may not have had the key safe number, she may have looked through all the windows and shouted through the letterbox! You can’t assume that she didn’t do everything within her control at that time. Additionally she was worried so she came back to double check and she gave the neighbour her number.

Perhaps she thought she had looked in all the rooms - have you never been quite scared/ worried going into someone’s house not knowing what you may find?

The NMC will want an internal investigation first to establish the facts.

You are the neighbour OP and she checked with you. She came back and found him. Don’t be mean and cause her a load of work related stress over nothing.

We have this continually with an elderly relative's key safe... People who should have been given code aren't... And others that don't need it... Eg professionals attending a review meeting with relatives present that can let them in, are...

You cant assume she would automatically know /have access...

She came back, she didn’t just leave him. She could have checked and not seen him.

You need to get a life.

She gave you her mobile and came back, think she’s done nothing wrong.

Absolutely, op and her complaint might be last straw for the nurse who's fed up with the nosey, self righteous querlous public and this will drive her to make the decision to escape!!

How do you think she had his key safe number? Or how do you think she would have been able to get in in this situation??

she went back so it’s not like she left and did nothing

I've not read every reply but she had a duty of care. If he didn't answer she had to find out why.

Of course she would have access yo his key safe and if she didn't she would have been able to get it in this situation.

You are not wrong! However, she did come back at least