Blood test nurse with NO appointment got firemen to damage door.Who pays?

[logiccalls]

Someone who goes decades without any G.P. contact (being allergic to chemicals, and therefore never wanting to get pills) decided to get a private health MOT: The results were excellent, except for one which indicated it might be advisable to take a further blood test via the N.H.S.

The person was permanently disabled by a violent and stalking ex, therefore finds it difficult to get to a surgery, and asked them to send a home visiting nurse to do a blood test. This is a person made resilient by adversity, and keeping as healthy as possible, so with no history of mental problems or heart problems or anything else. (And even the requested blood test was resulting from a private MOT, which the NHS knew nothing about)

The GP has never been spoken to, just the receptionist, who promised to pass on the request for the blood test .

There was no further contact: NO appointment: No response: No email: No phone contact: No letter: No text.

Many weeks later, suddenly, a stranger had got into the block of flats, without using the intercom, and was agressively hammering on the flat door and trying to force the door handle to turn.

There was still no phone call, email or text. It could have been any intruder, inebriated, deranged or drugged. The occupant stayed silent.

The mobile phone rang, but with a witheld number, (which someone who has previously been stalked would of course never respond to.) Eventually, the stranger at the door went away. (There had been a parcel outside the door, before the stranger arrived, and as soon as she left, the occupant could at last open the door to retrieve it, and did so.)

An hour (?) later, a man was beating on the door as if to smash it in, and shouting. The occupant is deaf, but was obviously not going to open the door, to violent strangers, so again stayed silent. (But, because the parcel had been taken in, was clearly not lying unconscious on the floor for lack of a routine blood test, for which there had been NO appointment.)

The hammering on the door continued for hours, (?) and although the phone was constantly being rung, it was never used to send a text explaining there was any legitimate reason to attempt entry.

Later, it turned out the nurse had called the fire brigade, and it was their men taking over from her in battering the door. They then began to drill holes in the door.

The occupant had been unable to use the phone to try to get a lawyer, or to ring for any possible help from neighbours or the building caretaker. The 'number -witheld' calls were coming constantly.

With the flat's front door being destroyed, there was at last no choice for the occupant except to go to the door and call out "Who are you and what are you doing?"

A fireman explained who he was, and that there was a blood test nurse who had claimed that the occupant had "failed to attend an appointment for a blood test", which apparently he believed was justification for smashing the door. (?!)

a)There was NO such 'appointment'. b)The occupant had no idea who the nurse was, or the fireman was. c)Nobody texted.

But could it ever be reasonable to smash the door of someone for such a minor reason, for someone with no medical or mental illness history, and with evidence the person has taken in a parcel, so is obviously fit and well?

This is bullying and abuse of power, instigated by that extremely aggressive nurse, and enabled too readily by a fire brigade who were colluding in the constant phoning, yet never requesting a text should be sent, to a deaf occupant, to identify themselves or the blood test nurse, or to give information about the alleged "appointment".

(The medical records will not show much contact with the NHS, for decades, but there would be a note about deafness, so the fireman's statement that he had called out the word 'fireman' would not be justification to destroy a door.)

There is no house insurance. The front door is a security door and a fire door, so will be expensive to replace. Large holes have been drilled through it. Is it true, as the fireman suggested, that the NHS surgery will be liable to replace the front door?

That was my parents experience. The nurse would come at some point of the day and never at a certain time. They found it very frustrating because one was housebound but not the other (who had to stay in to open the door etc.) They used to ask why at least it couldn't be timed to a 3-hour slot, either morning or afternoon.

It didn't appear very patient-centred when in reality we thought the nurse could have called them as they started their rounds to give an approximate time, at least with a 3 hour window. The process seemed to lack organisation and seeing it from the patient's point of view.

The trouble is there isn’t enough people to do the visits, never mind make phone calls to all seventeen patients to tell them approximately what time they’ll come.
A lot of patients have a key safe so we don’t need someone to unlock the door.
In my area we can try and book am or pm visits, but again if something with greater clinical need comes in, it will push everything about. This can happen once we have set off on our rounds, and from experience, if we give a rough time and aren’t able to honour it people get more upset.

Indeed. Both my parents died at home while under the care of the district nurses (expected deaths) and the person you call straight away is the district nurse to come and check everything (and take away any controlled drugs).

This is a priority call for them. And while the deaths were not unexpected, we couldn't have said "it will be 2pm Tuesday, please book us in" so the DN could work around us.

Once they came, they were there quite a while as there is a lot of paperwork and they have to inform other people. They also ensure that the living are OK!

That's just one example of things taking a day off track. I have plenty of others - like calling because the syringe driver was beeping, or because the catheter seemed blocked, or the stoma bag was full, or sedation was required etc.

With mum and dad we never had any advance notice of when the DN would arrive, nor the GP who just turned up at random times. And some other head community nurse who decided to pop by.

Thank you for your post.
Some people here seem to think we just don’t care, but as well as the ‘routine’ blood tests we have a lot of patients with complex needs (and their families!) who take up a lot of time, and rightly so.
It’s unfortunate that the OP felt her care wasn’t up to scratch, but that’s just the way it is. She could have booked her private provider to do the blood test or got herself to the GP at an arranged time, suitable for her and her mobility needs, for the test (she said she does go out).
For me, our palliative patients will always come first.

Because OP was in the flat but not answering the door or phone, or responding to people calling through the door.

You don't have to fling open the door. You could get a chain put on,

I doubt the nurse "sneaked in". She either came in anyway because the door was open, or may have been there already seeing another patient in the building.

Knowing the circumstances, nobody welcome to call would call at the door without first arranging it, and would use the intercom to show themselves

@logiccalls But you can't guarantee that the outer door to your block of flats is always closed. In the flats I've known (and lived in) the outer door was often left off the latch by people who didn't ensure it was closed behind them.

OR several people would be coming in at the same time and only the first person would use the buzzer to be allowed in and people behind would follow.

That is why for your own safety you need a door chain, a peep hole and /or doorbell camera. Or answer withheld numbers without automatically assuming they are 'dangerous'.

You have to be a little more proactive about the simple, practical steps you can take to keep yourself safe, but not have your door battered if you choose not to respond to someone genuine who is contacting you.

They'd surely have to write to them first and make sure they weren't just healthy. DH hadn't seen the GP in 23 years until he became unwell last year. He still very much needed to be on their books. They've never contacted him nor removed him. I'd imagine he's a model patient as far as they're concerned :)

I wonder what will happen about the blood test now. Will they be prepared to come back and do another home visit or will they tell the OP to get her arse down the GP surgery.

And you could just ask at the first am sure normal knock “who is it?”!

I’m sure there are some quite clear alerts on OPs record now 😭

This, and can imagine the level of complaints if DNs stopped mid task/appointment to say, “hold on need to stop this Catheter/dressing change, to give an updated ETA to people”!

You don't have to fling open the door. You could get a chain put on,

Well exactly, there's plenty of simple security measures a person could have put in place if they had an issue with not opening their door to unexpected callers.

I also think it stretches credulity that a patient whose not been in contact with the GP for decades can ask for a home blood test out of the blue off the back of a private check. Much more likely they'd get a private blood test, from a service that would be able to provide the level of contact the OP expects - visit arranged at customer's convenience via text, which is not something a district nurse can offer as they're run ragged and constantly dealing with unforeseen issues... such as impossible patients who won't open the door/answer the phone and seem to need a welfare check, meaning the nurse can't show up to all their other patients.

If this is real, hopefully OP will get more visits and be able to access MH help that way. And hopefully they’ll open the door this time!

OP, do accept MH help. You might not think so, but you clearly need some support.

I replied earlier in the thread but I realise I didn’t comment on who should pay for your door. The answer is you via your insurance. None of the fault lies with the NHS or Fire Service. They had to do a Welfare Check because you refused to answer or let them know you’re ok. Indeed, in theory they’d have a claim against you for wasting their time and resources.

OP says she has no insurance.

Which is rather negligent as she won't be covered for theft or fire, even if she's renting privately or through the local council.

Then it will be from her own pocket. Always best to get insurance, as you say. Not having it can be a false economy.

This is highly unlikely. It’s a flat. The claim would be on buildings insurance, not contents.

The OP says she has no insurance.
Not everyone does- so why is that unlikely?

She will be paying for buildings insurance through her service charge - the likelihood of a block not having buildings insurance is vanishingly low

contents would be responsibility of each flat

sonop should contact managing agent and ask if insurance covers front doors

Maybe ask the OP?
Are you assuming she owns the flat rather than being a tenant either privately of local council?

Either way there will be buildings insurance so OP needs to call landlord/managing agent/council

Do you think you can just chose not to have buildings insurance in a block of flats?

it’s not up to the home owners. The freeholder/ management company purchases an insurance policy for the whole block and recharge it to residents via service charges

it is extremely unlikely- and illegal- for a block not have buildings insurance. It’s possible only if the homeowners own the freehold and all refuse get one.
It’s likely that the council or fire bridge would take legal action in that case against them though.

There are an awful lot of 'ifs' in your attempt to explain this
Indeed, but the alternative is to affirm that OP is a liar. Maybe she is, but it's not impossible that she isn't.

Tell the entire community nursing/medical/therapy teams that.