Should I complain about this nurse

Is lying to nosey neighbours a sackable offence now? I had no idea.

She may have had a timed visit to go to, like reloading a syringe driver, or had a call about a palliative who was in pain so needed a visit ASAP, so they did a quick recce , shouted and got no answer, so wrongly assumed they weren't in, but went back because she wanted to double check when she wasn't under any time restrictions.
You would be surprised at the number of housebound patients who are not in when we call to see them, they may be in hospital and we haven't been informed, they may be at a hospital appointment, they might be at the hairdressers or out shopping.
It sounds as though she came back and provided the nursing care the neighbour required, not that she should really be telling you due to patient confidentiality.So all's well, patient was seen, received the appropriate care just to a slightly different timescale to the one you might have expected ?

So why did she come back? If she was dodging work she would have just stayed away. If she knew the patient was there, the easier option was to do her job. The logical conclusion is that she was telling the truth, she didn't see him, so she came back later to do her job properly.

This. She would be just giving herself extra work and hassle to leave and then come back. It sounds like you are looking for problems where none exist @AprilF00L

edit: meant to quote @PrettyFlyforaMaiTai

And came back too…….

It doesn’t make sense to me. Why would she come back if she didn’t care and was being neglient?

Why is she telling you your neighbours business anyway? (and why are you asking?!)

Can't believe the number of posters making excuses for this nurse. She went in the house but when she didn't immediately see her patient, rather than checking the rest of the house in case he had fallen or died, she buggered off to another job. Yes of course you should report her.

But thats if they’ve been given the code for the key safe

It’s definitely not. I’ve arrived at patients houses and found there is a key safe. We’ve never been given the number and neither has the GP. You don’t always even know who the carers are to ask them. Often codes can’t even be given over the phone as they can’t confirm who I am - I’m just a voice on the end if the phone……..it’s really difficult sometimes

My post was answering Devonshiregal

Maybe it’s a regional/ trust thing then. I’m a carer and we always expect medical professionals to let themselves in . I’ve spoken to 111 before to arrange a nurse to call on a patient and they have confirmed that they have the correct keysafe number with me (accessing records whilst on phone). Have also arrived at a bed bound patient to find the paramedics have let themselves in using keysafe.
I always thought this was nation wide practice but obviously not!

Some do but use a key safe on the outside of the house. What do you think someone who is bed bound would do?

Because the story doesn't add up. First the OP says she was rushing out of the house for an appointment and the nurse approached her yet in a post further down she says the nurse was about to drive off and she stopped her to ask about the neighbour. She sounds a busy body shit stirer hence others calling her out.

It’s very easy to miss someone in bed - plus it’s apparently a town house so not a little one bed bungalow

and this so call concerned neighbour who thought there could have been a possibility the neighbour was dead was happy to pop off to her appointment rather than double check as she’s so adamant the neighbour was there as he never goes out

Except that’s not what happened. OP never asked if the nurse had been in the house. She asked if she had looked in all rooms. If I was that nurse and a busybody neighbour was poking her nose in and I had looked in the available windows I would be able to truthfully imo answer that question as ‘yes’. There is no indication the nurse had been in the house, had access to the house or was even aware of the key safe or the condition of the patient. The nurse came back. Trust me, if she was just fucking her job off she wouldn’t have bothered to come back.

The people here who think that multi agency carers & HCPs all have access to all the necessary info are delusional. The way things should work is not the way they do in real life unfortunately.

You've already been caught out lying or changing your story at the very least OP so give it a rest and leave the poor nurse alone. You have no idea of what actually happened just what you've made up. If she cba she wouldnt have come back an hr later.

I’m so confused. I mean I see a few nurses/carers jumping on getting defensive. - fair enough, automatic reaction for what I can only assume is a stressful and under appreciated job. But I don’t see why everyone else is acting like op is crazy? Clearly, according to the op, the nurse said she had BEEN in this gentleman’s home. She said she had gone round and checked every bedroom. Hence why op is firm in saying yes she had access to go inside - the nurse literally told her she had been IN his house.

and she came back to check he was there and found he was there because she hadn’t actually done a proper check in the first place. Unless it’s Buckingham palace, it’s unlikely you could accidentally ‘miss a room’ with a whole person lying in the bed (with limited mobility who no doubt has equipment etc around him).

so a caring neighbour is suitably concerned that this particular nurse (not an attack on all nurses) had not done the most basic of things - locate her patient - yet everyone is calling her names?

if the nurse had said “I couldn’t get in to the house” the op wouldn’t have been questioning the nurse. She didn’t though. She said “I checked every room but he wasn’t there”. Later op found out that this woman couldn’t possibly have checked every room because the man WAS there in plain sight.

I literally don’t get why people are saying things like the nhs doesn’t need people complaining and stuff? As if no nurse has ever been unprofessional. As if no carer has ever hurt or neglected their patient. As if the op is “unhinged” because she is looking out for her elderly neighbour??

every day in the news some old person is neglected, abused, stolen from. There’s PLENTY of good carers but definitely some awful ones. Unless the op has completely lied (?) she is just being diligent. So why the hate?

I don’t even understand what you’re getting at

Personally you couldn’t be that bothered, as you left for your apt, you didn’t put yourself out to go & check. She actually came back to check more than you did.

You sound like quite a nasty person OP. I'd probably assume she had looked in all the rooms and missed one. I'm not sure why your first reaction is to go assuming the worst and reporting someone.

@AprilF00L Ignore the posters who think it’s wrong to get involved in anything just because they’re the “I’m alright Jack” brigade and don’t give a stuff about anyone else.

Yes, of course you should complain.

If, when investigated, it was found that she’d done her job properly, then great.

If not, at least she won’t leave the next vulnerable patient (who could be other posters mum or dad!), without necessary medical care.

Seriously??

No wonder there’s such a backlog of cases if crap like this is referred 🙄

https://nmcwatch.org.uk/nmc-ftp-backlog/

No you shouldn't.

Was she given the key safe? Just because carers have it doesn’t mean a district nurse would