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?

Most people perhaps do, answer the phone or the door at once, even if they are not expecting anyone and even if the number is being witheld (though nobody does if they are out, which could mean just taking the rubbish down or going to the mail boxes in the entry hall, as well as actually being outdoors.) Most people don't, though, if they have been battered nearly to death by someone who afterwards traces them. In that case most people don't answer the door or the phone unless they know who it is. Most people are not all people. Most people are not deaf, but some are.

YABU

Yes. Why couldn't the bag have been stolen or taken away by someone else?

Absence of bag does not mean "all is fine here, very healthy person is clearly inside this flat but just not responding to anyone."

Your not going to out of the flat if you can't get to the GP for a blood test are you?

Perhaps it is hard to comprehend that being able to hear the word 'fireman' through a door is a little more difficult than hearing the door being battered so hard the walls are shaking?

Lawyer would not be top of my list.

police possibly, or alternatively any large bloke that I thought would “persuade” the stalker to fuck off.

to be honest you lost me at “allergy to chemicals” as that screams “mental health problems”.

I think you pay as you didn’t respond to the reasonable attempts to get you open the door

Hang on. How did you get a private ‘all clear’ without being exposed to ‘chemicals’

@logiccalls I'm also confused about how it all worked.

That you are unable to attend a GP appointment but were able to attend a private MOT. How did that work? And why would a private MOT suggest you follow up with the NHS? Did they send a referral letter of some sort? Surely it's unusual to just phone up and demand a home visit for a specific blood test?

If their hearing is that bad, they wouldn't be able to use the phone to call a solicitor.

Source: I'm deaf.

No you'd ring the police. And a parcel on a doorstep could've been taken by anyone as far as the nurse is concerned. How do you normally answer the door you mention an intercom. The nurse and firebrigade would have tried this, and contacted the building manager.

Thank you. Knowing the circumstances, nobody welcome to call would call at the door without first arranging it, and would use the intercom to show themselves rather than sneak in when someone else was enterring the building, and nobody would simply bash at the door and try the door handle. That would not be be neighbourly or friendly or polite or acceptable. It would prove contempt and hostility. It would be commensurate with the occasional intruders into the building, sometimes drugged.

Okay, you have a long, complex reason as to why you didn't answer the door or the phone, or contact anyone for help i.e the police or a neighbour.

It doesn't change the fact that she was trying to help and make sure you were okay. She's not going to text you from her personal phone. She was worried about you, and trying to save your life, and you keep calling her aggressive. Pay for your door and in future get house insurance

Most properties have some way of seeing who’s at the door eg spy hole, window, ring doorbell. I’d have thought someone with this history would even more so have a way of visually vetting a visitor.

There’s no way this person didn’t know who was at the door or phoning their phone, they were narked not to have been informed of the visit in advance and it’s massively back fired because the diligent district nurse was concerned about the welfare of this housebound patient who was unable to answer door or phone, and quite rightly ensured someone checked on them in a timely manner.

Can you imagine if she didn’t and OP was found dead two weeks later - papers would be reporting how DNs had visited got no response and left, and the DN would’ve been held responsible.

I don't have any of my neighbours phone numbers, and they don't have mine.

This statement is true of all 40 years of my adult life across 12 properties.

Girl, youve survived some tough stuff it sounds like

You were in the wrong as you should've answered the phone at least, although I understand your life experiences have made you extremely wary

The nurse doesnt know of your history of stalking and abuse. They were probably worried that you had died or were dying in there. Especially as GP practices dont go around handing out home appointments on a plate, you have to really qualify, so they probably had reason to want to be cautious.

Answering the phone and saying 'who is this please' wouldve been the way to go.

I would call the surgery and apologise and explain why you didnt answer the door.

Wish you well with your health journey x

Allergic to chemicals?

Aww I really feel for you, you must have been so scared.

I'm also a victim of stalking and there needs to be an alternative to HCPs/police/other public services making calls off withheld numbers. It's still incredibly triggering for me and hilarious that it's normally a therapist or victim support ringing on them. I actually had to take an afternoon off work last week after feeling like I had to answer a call off a withheld number.

All of them??

Haven't read all posts but for OP, you have questioned a few times as to why this would require a welfare check. A district nurse has been given an appointment time to arrive at a home to see a patient, they are obviously under the impression that the patient is aware of this appointment and expects them to be home. They arrive at the home, nobody answers the door, so they ring the patient. You have said deafness with a question mark, and have said the extent of the knocking could be heard by the patient, so I assume hard of hearing rather than deaf. On this assumption, the patient would have their phone ringer volume up loud.

The poor nurse is on the other side of the door, listening to their patient's phone ringing inside, at a time when they expect the patient to be home, and is thinking the absolute worst.

In what scenario does this NOT require a welfare check!

P.s. not having insurance is just nonsense

People on this thread are being very harsh against the OP here.

1. Yes, chemical allergies are a thing. Obviously, OP means to certain chemicals, not to all chemicals 🙄 Chemical sensitivities are also a thing, again, that means to certain chemicals, not all. Personally, I have a number of chemical sensitivities that range in reactions such as nosebleeds, breaking of the skin leading to bleeding, rashes, abdominal pain, etc. I keep my home chemical-free and by that I clearly mean harmful chemicals. People are being extremely facetious.
2. I understand why OP did not open the door, given the stalker history. I too would not open a door to aggressive banging either. I also wouldn't answer the phone to withheld numbers. I'm a DV survivor so am extra careful about things like this.
3. I'd be making a formal complaint against the community nurse/whoever the original person was. Ensure you state that you had received no contact whatsoever about an appointment. You had no idea who was at the door, they had bypassed the outer door intercom system. The door banging was extremely aggressive, and multiple repeated attempts to aggressive open the door were made, to the point that you were left terrified. Also include about the deafness, and that they should have sent a letter and/or text.

The nurse handled this very badly. You cannot just get someone's door broken in because someone hasn't answered it or answered their phone when there was no appointment in the first place. From doing a little online research, it sounds like this was an unlawful entry and the emergency services would be liable to pay for the door.

You can send a pre-action complaint:

Letter of Claim (Pre-Action Complaint)
Your Name
Your Address
Postcode
Phone / Email
Date:
To:

• The GP Practice Manager,
• The Community Nursing Team Lead, and
• The Chief if Fire Service [Name of local Fire Service]

Re: Claim for Damage to Property Following Unlawful Forced Entry — [Address]
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing to make a formal complaint and to notify you of an intended claim regarding an incident that occurred on [date] at [address], in which forced entry was made into the property without lawful justification, causing damage to the front door.
Summary of Events
On [date], a [community nurse] attended the property, allegedly to carry out a blood test. No appointment had been made, agreed to, or communicated to the resident, who is disabled and did not expect any visit.
When the resident did not answer the door — for an appointment they were unaware of — the community nurse escalated the matter, resulting in forced entry to the property. There was no emergency, no evidence of risk to life, and no lawful authority for entry.
Why the Entry Was Unlawful / Unjustified

• Routine blood tests do not justify forced entry.
• The resident had no prior notice of any appointment and therefore was under no obligation to answer the door.
• There was no evidence of immediate risk or medical emergency.
• Disability alone does not form a lawful basis for entry without consent.

This forced entry was therefore unreasonable, disproportionate, and unlawful.
Damage Caused
The forced entry caused damage to:

• The front door
• The lock
• The frame

This has resulted in costs for repair/replacement and has caused distress to the disabled resident.
What I Am Seeking
I request that the responsible authority confirm:

1. Who authorised the forced entry,
2. Under what legal basis it was carried out,
3. How they justify this action given no appointment was made,
4. That full costs for repair/replacement of the damaged door will be covered.

Next Steps
Please treat this as a pre-action notification under the Civil Procedure Rules.
If I do not receive a satisfactory response within 14 days, I will consider escalating the matter through:

• A formal complaint,
• An Ombudsman referral, and
• A civil claim for damages for unlawful entry and property damage.

I look forward to your response.
Yours faithfully,
[Your Name]

You could either send the above or contact a solicitor, look for a firm that handles Actions Against Public Authorities, Civil Rights, or Police Misconduct, OR standard civil litigation / personal injury solicitors.
Many offer free consultations or “no win, no fee.”

no. I'd call the police. do you really think your lawyer is going to turn up and do anything there and then? the fact you didn't call the police is honestly the oldest part of this.

yes it does sound like the nurse over reacted calling in a welfare check just because a door isn't answered. you could have been on holiday. presumably they could hear the telephone ringing which indicates someone was gone but unwilling or unable to answer. at that point it becomes a question of why they aren't answering. have they left their phone at home? are they deliberately ignoring the door and phone? are they dead?

This

There are many people with many allergies, an increasing number of them include chemical allergies. All they can do is take the best care they can. Being allergic to chlorine means filtering it out of water, and having an extremely fast shower, with extremely costly bar soap with the minimum ingredients. Organic food is essential. No scents or cleaning materials other than vinegar and bicarb. Natural materials and furnishings. Wearing a mask if encountering a likely problem. It isn't all that unusual. Some people do attempt to go the G.P. prescription route, getting chemicals to counter the allergies that chemicals cause, then more chemicals because of the side effects, and so on, but that tends inevitably to be a losing battle!

Chat gpt?