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To think this nurse was unprofessional?

383 replies

ThisCoolOP · 19/06/2025 17:06

So I went for an appointment at my GP surgery to try and verify the accuracy of two home blood pressure monitors we have in our house. The two monitors give virtually identical readings to each other for everyone in our family - but for my sister one reads 10 - 15 points lower than the other on thr systolic number.

During the appointment, my sister attempted to explain the situation and that she wanted to compare both machines against a manual reading. The nurse immediately told her to "just bin" one of the machines without any attempt to even compare it

The nurse then proceeded to only check one of the machines (the one that reads lower). When the machine displayed a reading of 150/100, she then performed a "manual check" and literally immediately stated "yeah 150/100". Might be just me, but this rapid confirmation seems like the nurse was simply just re-stating the reading she had seen on the machines screen (literally told me her reading was the exact same number) rather than conducting a genuine, independent manual verification. Her pre-judgement of which machine was correct was evident from the beginning, as she refused to consider checking the second machine, despite my clear explanation of the discrepancy of both machines for me, but identical readings for the rest of the family

As a result, I was left in the exact same position I was in before the appointment. I actually suffer from anxiety and came back in tears at how sharp and unhelpful she had been, and because it seemed she had made her mind up there and then she was only checking one machine and that was the correct one (despite them giving the same readings for everyone else), i don't trust what she told me at all

OP posts:
ArtTheClownIsNotAMime · 19/06/2025 18:06

Why are you sometimes posting in the first person and in some pretending to be your sister?

Figcherry · 19/06/2025 18:04

DiscoBob · 19/06/2025 18:00

I'm sorry but this is outrageous. Would you turn up for a GPs appointment to check whether a pair of scales worked?

It's not their job to check equipment you purchased yourself. She can take someone's blood pressure and tell you the reading.

But do you really think you can just bring in a bag full of potentially faulty home diagnostic equipment and expect a medical professional to test each one in turn? For what reason exactly?

It's bang out of order to do such things and block out services needed for sick people.

You should just buy a new one if you think it's faulty. It's not the NHS's problem.

She didn’t do that.
She filled in an online form explaining the problem and the surgery made an appointment.
It’s not op’s or her dsis’s fault that an appointment was made.

SleepyRic · 19/06/2025 18:04

This sounds mad, why check with 2 machines in the first place? Just pick one and use it.

It's completely sensible and appropriate to say - "my BP keeps reading 170/100 can I have an appointment for a review?"

It's completely stupid to say - "when my sister takes her BP with 2 machines one tends to read lower than the other, but it seems fine for me, can you check my machines out?"

ThisCoolOP · 19/06/2025 18:04

Pateallday · 19/06/2025 18:02

Why does your sister have two machines and why were you at the appointment? I would think they give one machine, she measures using it for 7 days and if she's not sure of her machine she takes hers to a chemist.

To your question, no I don't think the nurse sounded unprofessional at all.

Edited

They are our own machines. Not ones the surgery has given!

OP posts:
ThisCoolOP · 19/06/2025 18:03

DiscoBob · 19/06/2025 18:00

I'm sorry but this is outrageous. Would you turn up for a GPs appointment to check whether a pair of scales worked?

It's not their job to check equipment you purchased yourself. She can take someone's blood pressure and tell you the reading.

But do you really think you can just bring in a bag full of potentially faulty home diagnostic equipment and expect a medical professional to test each one in turn? For what reason exactly?

It's bang out of order to do such things and block out services needed for sick people.

You should just buy a new one if you think it's faulty. It's not the NHS's problem.

A bag, it was 2 machines! And when one machine is reading at very high levels and the other low?? Hardly bang out of order

OP posts:
Pateallday · 19/06/2025 18:02

Why does your sister have two machines and why were you at the appointment? I would think they give one machine, she measures using it for 7 days and if she's not sure of her machine she takes hers to a chemist.

To your question, no I don't think the nurse sounded unprofessional at all.

Stompythedinosaur · 19/06/2025 18:02

I think you were being unreasonable to use the practice nurse's time for this. That's not what she's there for.

Access a pharmacy if you need a BP check. That will allow you to verify the more accurate machine.

It doesn't sound like the nurse was rude.

Dickieanddolly · 19/06/2025 18:01

At my surgery they offer to check your home blood pressure monitor to make sure it's accurate. I fainted a couple of times last year because my BP was low and was asked to bring my monitor in so that it could be properly calibrated. And it was a nurse appointment, not a GP appointment. But my SIL wasn't involved and I don't suffer from health anxiety.

DiscoBob · 19/06/2025 18:00

I'm sorry but this is outrageous. Would you turn up for a GPs appointment to check whether a pair of scales worked?

It's not their job to check equipment you purchased yourself. She can take someone's blood pressure and tell you the reading.

But do you really think you can just bring in a bag full of potentially faulty home diagnostic equipment and expect a medical professional to test each one in turn? For what reason exactly?

It's bang out of order to do such things and block out services needed for sick people.

You should just buy a new one if you think it's faulty. It's not the NHS's problem.

ThisCoolOP · 19/06/2025 17:58

tinyspiny · 19/06/2025 17:53

High BP readings need a nurse or GP appointment to treat the actual problem though not to test out all your home machines . I’m surprised you got a nurse to take a manual BP

And that's exactly what we are trying to actually verify!! If it is truly high as one machine says or normal as the other says

OP posts:
travelallthetime · 19/06/2025 17:57

ThisCoolOP · 19/06/2025 17:14

Hi, I take blood pressure medication and had been getting very high readings on one the machines 170/100 as an example. The NHS website actually advises to contact the surgery for readings of that level. So i messaged on our online portal stating the problem is had, that one machine was giving very high readings and one low. It was one of the receptionist that booked the appointment

so rather than you go to use the appointment to actually check your blood pressure, you sent your sil? this makes no sense

ThingsgetbetterwithalittlebitofRazzmatazz · 19/06/2025 17:56

I think the best thing to do is complete the 7 day diary on both machines and give both in to the surgery and let them interpret it.
Unless you've a got someone who can verify at home with a manual reading i can't see another option.

bridgetreilly · 19/06/2025 17:56

This is not the nurse’s job. You shouldn’t be using two machines. You should be taking multiple readings from one machine and recording the lowest. Alternatively have it measured by a pharmacist.

ilovesooty · 19/06/2025 17:56

ThisCoolOP · 19/06/2025 17:28

It was an appointment with one of the nurses they gave her, not with one of the GPs

Still a waste of NHS resources.

Lanzarotelady · 19/06/2025 17:56

You do realise BP isn't a static number, it changes, second by second!

Lanzarotelady · 19/06/2025 17:55

tinyspiny · 19/06/2025 17:53

High BP readings need a nurse or GP appointment to treat the actual problem though not to test out all your home machines . I’m surprised you got a nurse to take a manual BP

Why not? It is a basic skill.

Lanzarotelady · 19/06/2025 17:54

You and your sister both went to an appointment - you both went - are you 5 years old?

MissMoneyFairy · 19/06/2025 17:53

And no the nurse was not unprofessional so please do not think about complaining.

tinyspiny · 19/06/2025 17:53

ThisCoolOP · 19/06/2025 17:18

With readings as high as 170/100, not really a waste of time

High BP readings need a nurse or GP appointment to treat the actual problem though not to test out all your home machines . I’m surprised you got a nurse to take a manual BP

ThisCoolOP · 19/06/2025 17:52

wordler · 19/06/2025 17:47

Are the cuffs interchangeable? Try seeing if it’s the cuff that’s making the difference.

Otherwise try testing at the pharmacy or borrow a third machine to see which number is the closest match.

Hi, yeah the cuffs are interchangeable and we've tried other and its always the same difference no matter which way round we do it. If we test the lower machine first and then the one reading higher, it will always be the same machine reading low and the other reading high

OP posts:
tartyflette · 19/06/2025 17:52

My GP surgery positively encourages you to make an appointment if you're concerned about your BP and especially if you are also on medication for it already.
It's an absolutely standard nurse appointment.

MissMoneyFairy · 19/06/2025 17:52

Chuck both machines out, buy her a new one and just use that on the same arm each time.

ThisCoolOP · 19/06/2025 17:49

ThingsgetbetterwithalittlebitofRazzmatazz · 19/06/2025 17:40

Also, are both a good fit on her arm? If the cuff is too big or too small for her then that will affect the reading.

High, yep. This is one of the first things we did. Measured to get the right size cuff

OP posts:
ThisCoolOP · 19/06/2025 17:48

Tattletail · 19/06/2025 17:36

To save confusion I would get your sister her own new machine and no one else use it.

what I was trying to get at was if your sister's BP is extremely high, it would be better for everyone if she went to an appointment with the GP that was addressing this and her BP medication rather then splitting hairs about a machine. Because the problem of the machine has not been solved, your sister's hypertension has not been addressed and you are now worrying even more.

It has been addressed though
The problem is this we think she has some whitecoat hypertension so her blood pressure will shoot up in the GP surgery anyway, which is why they request 7 day home blood pressure monitoring so trying do do the right thing by monitoring at home

But the readings from one machine put her in the stage 2 hypertension category. The other puts her in the perfectly normal bp category

OP posts:
wordler · 19/06/2025 17:47

Are the cuffs interchangeable? Try seeing if it’s the cuff that’s making the difference.

Otherwise try testing at the pharmacy or borrow a third machine to see which number is the closest match.

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