GP sent police to my house - is this normal? **trigger warning added by MNHQ: contains discussion of self-harm**

[CrazyKittenSmile]

On Thursday I went to A&E having self-harmed badly. I received 26 stitches for the cut and then saw the mental health team. I was calm and co-operative the whole time and the mental health team were happy to discharge me. It’s not unusual for me to require medical treatment for self-harming (I’d also been to A&E on Tuesday) and I always get my wounds treated and look after them. I’ve been clear that I’m not suicidal and have no intentions to kill myself when I self-harm. No history of suicide attempts or anything like that on my medical records.

On Friday I went to work as normal. My GP surgery tried to call me during the day at 11am, 2pm and then 5:55pm leaving 2 answerphone messages. I can’t use my phone at work and I didn’t notice these calls until 6pm, I tried to ring the surgery back but it was already closed and I just got the answerphone message signposting me to 111. No option to leave a message so I just forgot about it and figured I’d phone back Monday.

At 22:30 on Friday night I had a single policeman knocking at my door. He asked for me by name and said my GP surgery had sent him round to check on me. He asked to come in but only stayed for about 1 minute, I can’t really remember the interaction as the whole thing was a shock and I was feeling quite scared of what was going to happen. I’ve been having flashbacks from a few years and my last dealings with the police was reporting the assault which I don’t think helped me process what was happening as my mind was all over the place. But I guess he was satisfied I looked okay and happy to leave. I haven’t heard anything since.

Is this normal? I suffer from anxiety and the whole thing left me hugely shaken up when we I remember it. I hate having my private space invaded and I was home alone. I have been to A&E about 20 times over the last year and so my GP surgery had no reason to think I was at risk, I’m always fine afterwards and I had been seen by the mental health team on Thursday and discharged. I hadn’t done a runner from hospitalor anything.

What powers do the police have? Could he have sectioned me? Is this going on my record somewhere? Will it matter that my house was a mess and that I probably was acting nervously? I’m scared now that I’m known to the police that this might happen again. I’m also scared I will go into work on Monday and find out the police have been in or something. I don’t want to stop getting my wounds treated as they’re usually very deep (sometimes needing internal as well as external stitches) but I don’t want to risk having the police involved again. Is it likely to happen again? I don’t know if I should change surgeries or if it’s just as likely to happen with a different GP? If i go to A&E under a false name and name a fake GP surgery is this fraud?

I assume it was a welfare visit. GP tried and was unable to get hold of you, so police asked to check you were ok

I'm surely was a welfare call. Looks at it from your gp pic. They possibly receiver a letter to say that you had been to ED twice in the last week. They called you to check - rang three times but no answer so they got worried and asked the police to check on you. I think it's quite reassuring actually.

Are you getting help for your MH? They only came round because people are concerned and obviously the amount you're going to A&E and the level of stitches and things required is indicative of an issue x

Please don't give a false name or fake GP surgery - apart from anything else A&E have a link to local surgeries so they'll know if that is fake.

Hope you're okay today

The GP was concerned for your welfare and wanted to check you were Ok because they had been unable to contact you. Under the circumstances I think that was a reasonable thing to do. I don’t think the police were there to find fault, just to check you we’re alive and well.

Relax OP I am a HCP we do this quite often, it's called "welfare check" and it is just that, to check you are ok. I am guessing there will be a record of it, but it will just say " welfare check completed at request of GP, crazy kitten seemed fine".

26 stitches and 20 times in the past year is a lot OP. You're talking like your self harm is the most normal thing in the world and nobody should worry.

Your GP asked for a welfare check, when you demand so much from services you can't just go off grid like that when people are checking up on you. You're at high risk of accidently killing yourself with your self harm.

If you go down the fake name route you'll have to go to hospitals far and wide. Please get some more permanent help with a view to recovery.

I'm sorry this made you feel bad again but yes, it's quite normal for them to ask the police to do a welfare check. Your GP was worried when be couldn't get hold of you.

And I agree you are talking about a very high level of serious self harm as if it is nothing.

In the nicest possible way you’re not fine afterwards, are you? 20 visits for self harm is a lot, and needing 26 stitches indicates a sizeable injury. It’s not unreasonable to send the police for a welfare check after a significant injury if the gp hadn’t been able to get hold of you. Particularly if the injuries are getting worse?

They won’t be judging your house for a bit of untidiness (really, they won’t, it takes a lot to make the police bat an eyelid) and wouldn’t go to your work to tell them what had happened.

I hope you’re ok and are getting the support you need.

Will it matter that my house was a mess and that I probably was acting nervously? I’m scared now that I’m known to the police that this might happen again

You're not now known to the police and this won't be attributable to you on any record. It was simply a welfare check after you had treatment for significant self harm; and then the GP couldn't reach you.

Going to A&E under a false name isn't a good idea. I shouldn't think waiting to be found out would do much for your anxiety, either.

Can you talk to your GP? Let them know what times you work; and that you can't use your phone then, and perhaps talk to them about your self harm? They were worried about you after they got your A&E notes.

Please don't fret about this. I hated it when it happened to me (not self harm related; I'd apparently just sounded woozy on the phone while talking about strong medication), but it really isn't a big deal. There's no record of if anywhere, and it didn't matter that I was wearing a towel and clearly nervous and upset as I hadn't expected it - they just wanted to check you were okay.

are you under any other treatments? It might be a good time to push for more help if you need it.

Please don’t change your GP. They sound like they are clued up and doing their job properly by sending a PC when they couldn’t make contact with you. Hope you are able to find the help and support you need soon.

Okay, I had never heard of s welfare check before but I feel a bit better knowing that isn’t completely unusual.

I have tried to get help but there is nothing available - I have been to my GP countless times and all they do is write me another prescription for diazepam or increase my anti-depressants dose. I sought out NHS therapy myself but was only entitled to 20 sessions and I’ve completed them now. I was referred to a psychiatrist last year who gave me a diagnosis of BPD (even though I don’t actually meet any of the criteria outside of self harm and all of the questions she asked were incredibly leading and, in hindsight, pushing me to say things which she could tick off from the symptoms page). I was directed me to a self-help group that takes place about 20 miles from where I live (I don’t drive) during a weekday (I work full time) and signed off from the hospital mental health service. She also referred me to an eating disorder clinic via my GP but he said as I’m not underweight that was unnecessary.

Trying to find help feels like a full time occupation that doesn’t go anywhere. I know that my self harm isn’t normal/ nothing but I also know that there isn’t any help available. I accept nothing is going to change and I’m sort of okay with that (or at least resigned to it). I wasworried that because the GP surgery don’t want to do anything more they were handing me over to the police but it sounds like it was just a one off?

Your GP's acted responsibly because they couldn't get hold of you (probably following an update from the hospital regarding your last visit).

It wasn't done to upset you, just to ensure you are ok.

26 stitches is hell of a cut. Have you a MH support team to assist you?

my GP surgery had no reason to think I was at risk

You turned up at A&E with a serious self-inflicted injury and then were not contactable the following day. You are going to be considered at risk in those circumstances.

It was a welfare check. Even a worried friend/work could request one if you were uncontactable and they were seriously worried.
Look at it from your GP's point of view... they know you are unwell,that you are struggling, that what they tried isn't working. On top of that you self harm fairly frequently and seriously enough to need A&E. They rang to check on you and couldn't get a hold of you. Yes you were at work, but as far as they knew you could be at home bleeding out from another injury.

I overslept once when I was under the care of a local health team (they came twice a day to give me my meds) and woke up to the police trying to bash the front door in. I was mortified not to mention the guilt for the wasted police time!

Count your lucky stars you have people looking out for you.

20 visits to A&E this year for self harming?! That’s shocking, on several levels.

Why do you do it? What do you get out of it?

I can’t believe there’s no more help available. I’d go back to your gp.

Hi OP, I’m sorry it’s so difficult to get help.
I agree with the others that there’s nothing to worry about in terms of the visit from the police. The gp has been made aware of your a&e visits and was phoning to check you were ok, when they couldn’t get you they have (sensibly) asked the police to visit. I understand to you that your self-harming is a coping mechanism (and not an attmept to end your life) but it sounds like the extent of the self harm is very risky and could put your health/ life at risk even though this may not be your intention.
I wish you luck in getting the help you need and sorry to hear the nhs resources are so poor.

I can completely believe there is no more help available but I would definitely contact the support group to see if they can offer transport or start a satellite group in the evening nearer you. Or facetime?

They were just making sure you were alive. Be thankful you were one of the lucky ones. If they didn't and knew you were self harming to the degree you needed that many stitches, it would be neglect.

People actually die not getting the care they need through no fault of their own because of budget cuts. Yet you're complaining because they give a shit.

Welfare calls are a standard way for nhs services to discharge their responsibilities towards vulnerable patients. There's a good chance this could happen again op. I've been on the other end of this, supporting staff who are worried about a patient. It's really hard to know what to do so you have to play safe and involve the police.

Have you explored any strategies to help you do a bit less damage to yourself? You are clearly cutting very deep, it's putting you at significant risk of bleeding out or infection.

I wasworried that because the GP surgery don’t want to do anything more they were handing me over to the police

You're looking at it the wrong way. Your GP is obviously very concerned about you. To go to the bother of phoning several times then calling the police is far from having nothing to do with you. They haven't handed you over. The police aren't going to be dealing with you. They've done what they were asked at the time. That's it

Op, it's really scarey that you say nothing will change and you're ok with this. You know you're seriously hurting yourself, and you are doing it a lot. One day you may go too far and it may be too late.

Your gp was worried about you, they couldn't contact you, so the police did a welfare check.

If this continues could you get sectioned, yes, you could, becayse this isn't just something you should be ok with, it's huge, 26 stitches, sometimes internal stitches.

Are you under the care of the mental health team, do you have someone to talk to when the urge to do this strikes?

Yet you're complaining because they give a shit.

She wasn't complaining, she's worried because she doesn't/didn't know what it means. Don't be a dick.