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

440 replies

logiccalls · 03/12/2025 22:06

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?

OP posts:
fruitbrewhaha · 03/12/2025 22:33

This reply has been deleted

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Hedgehogsrightsarehumanrights · 03/12/2025 22:33

The person not answering their phone and door are responsible for said door.

it was a safeguarding response.

Hohofortherobbers · 03/12/2025 22:34

It was a reasonable response by the nurse, can you imagine the outrage if she'd left you for dead in the flat without any further action.
Im a nurse who's been in a similar situation, my patient was incredibly grateful i phoned the police when he did not attend his appt, they broke his door down and found him unconscious and close to death, 24hrs later it would have been too late. He did not mention anyone paying for his door, he bought me flowers.

FancyCatSlave · 03/12/2025 22:34

I think “the person” most definitely has a mental health condition even if unaware of it as that’s very odd behaviour. And poor mental health goes hand in hand with prior trauma.

Dollymylove · 03/12/2025 22:35

FullBl00m · 03/12/2025 22:14

Can’t be bothered to read the full rambling message. “The Person” was being deliberately awkward.

Maybe you should have e read it then
The "person" had been permanently disabled by a violent stalker, hence the door wasnt opened

HiCandles · 03/12/2025 22:35

There is not the slightest chance the GP surgery are liable for damage. Nor the community NHS trust who employ community nurses, as is the case in most areas rather than GP practice directly. You asked for a home visit and then refused to answer the door. I cannot believe the nurse didn't call out who she was. If the deafness is too severe to hear that, how can you hear that door being knocked?
Extremely foolish not to have house insurance. But whether they'd even pay out in such an avoidable situation seems unlikely too.
Perhaps you should get a Ring doorbell or similar so you can see who is standing outside? Seeing a woman in nurse uniform and able to display ID could've avoided all this.

Coconutter24 · 03/12/2025 22:35

How did a deaf person hear someone aggressively hammering on the door?
The mobile phone rang, but with a witheld number, (which someone who has previously been stalked would of course never respond to.)
If someone is hammering on the door at the time of a call wouldn’t you assume it could be linked and answer the phone?
Why weren’t they able to use the phone to call for help?
So many questions but I’ll stop there for now

logiccalls · 03/12/2025 22:35

MissBattleaxe · 03/12/2025 22:10

Sounds like it was a welfare check and the district nurse may have thought you had come to harm.

Thanks but what on earth would be a welfare check, for someone in every way healthy, other than chemical allergies and old broken bone injuries (and deafness)? The private MOT was just a check up, purchased because of never really having contact with the NHS, because of self-management (the metabolic age was twenty years younger than the calender, so avoiding chemicals including pills was doing no great harm!)

The level of aggression was extraordinary. It was just a request for iron levels and something else. Many/most, survivors of existential abuse become strong, stoic, and resilient as a result: They get a sense of proportion, so mental problems are, contrary to popular ideas, pretty rare in the more extreme and /or prolonged abuse survivors, than in those whose lives are pleasant other than the one day they encounter "something nasty in the woodshed" (to quote from Cold Comfort Farm) and become distressed that their once cosy world is not as secure as they had thought.

There's nothing to be mentally ill about, or depressed about, if nobody is hitting you or about to hit you or trying to smash the door in to hit you, so just not being hit, or not being traced, is a brilliant bonus day to make you smile happily all day long. Unless or until someone beats on the door without appointment and without saying who they are or why they are so desperate to smash the door in to get at you. That is not good.

OP posts:
socialdilemmawhattodo · 03/12/2025 22:38

Octavia64 · 03/12/2025 22:17

Ok.

so you contacted the surgery and asked for a blood test.

my gp surgery always has number withheld as do most hospitals.

a nurse tried to knock on your door and contact you but got no answer to the door or to your phone.

sounds like she called in a welfare check (ie she thought you were dead in there). She wouldn’t have noticed the parcel.

most people do answer either the door or their phone.

I doubt you can get the money for the door from the surgery.

My GP service doesn't, it is their landline number as on their website page. Very sensible, but my GP surgery really is great.

Bambamhoohoo · 03/12/2025 22:38

There is no such thing as being allergic to chemical and no mentally healthy person would believe themselves to be allergic to chemicals. Unfortunately that one piece of information says it all.

who owns the flat? There was a concierge person mentioned? Isn’t the flat insured by the freeholder if not directly? Who is the free holder they might repair/ replace at cost

Nearly50omg · 03/12/2025 22:39

I’d make this known to the local and national press - you’ll find someone quickly pays to replace the door when it makes them look bad!

crowsfeet57 · 03/12/2025 22:40

Is this by chance social housing?

If so report this to the police, get a crime reference and request a repair from the landlord. The resident will need a crime reference number but it should be made safe in the mean time.

PersephoneSmith · 03/12/2025 22:42

‘Avoiding chemicals’ is not what keeps you healthy, mostly it is just luck.
‘the person’ should have answered the door. To find out what was going on.

Mydustymonstera · 03/12/2025 22:43

In most areas you can only get a home visit for a blood test if you are housebound.

being noted as housebound on the GP’s systems means that with no response from you, and presumably no next of kin details either, they have a duty of care to follow up and carry out the welfare check.

why would someone who is housebound, to the extent of being unable to get to a gp surgery, not be in their home? The natural conclusion is that you were there but unwell and needing assistance.

Fatiguedwithlife · 03/12/2025 22:44

I’m a district nurse. If no answer at the door or on the phone (how could the person know there were repeated called from withheld number yet also be unable to get to said phone to call for help?) then we may request assistance from police to perform a welfare check.
we don’t usually make appointments for home visits as by their nature the patient is housebound and therefore able to be visited any time.
Unless specifically requested we wouldn’t ring beforehand to let person know we are coming- the fact they requested a visit means they will get one.

Why didn’t you just answer your phone?

ResusciAnnie · 03/12/2025 22:44

“Allergic to chemicals” says it all really. OP YABVU.

SimplyBudgie · 03/12/2025 22:45

Paranoia is a symprom of several mental health conditions op. You're not as mentally well as you seem to think. Book in with your GP.

theunbreakablecleopatrajones · 03/12/2025 22:46

One suspects there is more going on..

youdontwantasluginthebedroom · 03/12/2025 22:46

How did this person get a private MOT without leaving their home? If they left their home for the private MOT, why couldn't they go to the surgery for the blood test?

I can't think of many GP surgeries who would agree to a home visit for a blood test for someone who can get themselves seen in a private clinic setting.

Bruisername · 03/12/2025 22:47

I’m really sorry op because it sounds like you’ve had a really hard time of it

but your op is full of contradictions and I think it might be helpful to look into some therapy to help you recognise that in this situation you behaved irrationally

Minjou · 03/12/2025 22:47

You cant be"allergic to chemicals" and there's no way an NHS nurse spent HOURS banging on your door while redialing your phone so repeatedly you couldn't possibly call out.

This is clearly extremely exaggerated

InMyOodie · 03/12/2025 22:50

@Fatiguedwithlife we don’t usually make appointments for home visits as by their nature the patient is housebound and therefore able to be visited any time.
Unless specifically requested we wouldn’t ring beforehand to let person know we are coming-

This shows a lot of contempt for the client. It's just good manners to let someone know you plan to call.

NeverDropYourMooncup · 03/12/2025 22:52

So, what was the blood test result that needed follow up? HbAC1? Hb? Cholesterol?

They realised the blood test hadn't been followed up on, the person never attends, so they must be feeling really unwell to attempt to engage for the first time in years and to request a home visit, something that's almost unheard of these days, there was no response to knocking loudly, they tried ringing (and probably heard the mobile), so they thought they could be dead in there, there was still no answer - what else would they do - say 'oh, well, we did have a blood test request from the Deceased, but didn't get a response to letter/call, assumed they didn't want it after all and didn't bother following it up'? Or 'dunno, haven't seen them for years, maybe they go to the dentist, so you'll be able to identify the remains from dental records'?

Answer the fucking door.

logiccalls · 03/12/2025 22:52

Midgetgemsplease · 03/12/2025 22:17

Agreed. Not deaf. Deaf but could've phoned neighbours. None of it makes sense

Perhaps it would be useful general information to know there is a range of sight impairment and of hearing impairment, (and mobiliity impairment) so that, for example, a person may see, with glasses, but not very clearly, or a person may hear, with a specially loud phone setting, in one ear only, and needing to contstantly apologise, and ask for a part-sentence to be repeated: In direct conversation, such deaf people half-hear and half-guess, and need to see the lips: Through a door, the voice would need to be unusually clear (and even then, only with the unwanted assistance of a hole straight through said door)

Some people, quite understandably, sneer that another person 'can walk' because they have been seen to walk about in a room, often close to something they can grab such as the back of a sofa: But that doesn't mean they 'don't need' a wheelchair to get themselves half a mile up the road. They couldn't possibly walk that far. Does that help to understand?

Contacting neighbours or the caretaker would normally be initiated by text, never voice. Text is the natural friend of deaf people, or, as they are sometimes called 'deaf and hard of hearing' people. Blind people are often and more correctly called 'blind and sight impaired' people. But the words 'deaf' or 'blind' are less cumbersome.

OP posts:
Bruisername · 03/12/2025 22:53

InMyOodie · 03/12/2025 22:50

@Fatiguedwithlife we don’t usually make appointments for home visits as by their nature the patient is housebound and therefore able to be visited any time.
Unless specifically requested we wouldn’t ring beforehand to let person know we are coming-

This shows a lot of contempt for the client. It's just good manners to let someone know you plan to call.

Yes I agree with this

just because someone is housebound doesn’t mean they don’t have other commitments

or maybe they have a friend/relative visiting and they would be embarrassed for a nurse to show up