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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:
Brittaniagirl · 03/12/2025 23:37

Home visit teams don’t make appointments as the patients are deemed housebound and therefore home, therefore welfare check is standard procedure if no contact from patient.

TheBroonOneAndTheWhiteOne · 03/12/2025 23:38

You would, if your life had been threatened by a persistent stalker, who had nearly managed to kill you previously, wouldn't you?

No, I wouldn't call a lawyer.
I'd call the police.

Minjou · 03/12/2025 23:39

She was just being bullying and aggressive, and, frankly, deceitful to the firemen

Why? She doesn't know you, youve never met. Why would she suddenly decide to be aggressive and bully you, a complete stranger? Why would she waste so much of her time, missing other important appointments? Why would she lie to fireman?
It's nonsensical.

NinaNina83 · 03/12/2025 23:39

what an odd situation … is this a script for a book?

Happyapplesanspears · 03/12/2025 23:41

As the person asked for a home visit it’s assumed they are housebound which is why not answering the door is so concerning.
I also don’t understand how someone can be very healthy and not have needed any
medical care for a long period yet unable to leave the house for a blood test.

Rachie1973 · 03/12/2025 23:41

They did a welfare check on you to ensure your safety.

She may have been able to hear your phone ringing and been concerned that you couldn’t get to it.

If you’re known to avoid going out it’s an understandable concern.

ThorsRaven · 03/12/2025 23:42

logiccalls · 03/12/2025 22:35

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.

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

Incorrect. PTSD and C-PTSD is common amongst prisoners of war; concentration camp survivors; soldiers; civilians who experience war; domestic abuse victims; child abuse victims; hostages; and others subjected to long term violence and abuse.

Your claim of 'stoicism' sounds more like dissociation - which is when a traumatised person disconnects from their thoughts and feelings in order to cope with what is/has happened to them.

Your claim of being 'allergic to chemicals' sounds like an unhelpful false belief and a maladaptive coping mechanism: in order to keep yourself safe, your mind has decided to isolate you from other people and the world. And to do this, you've created this false belief of 'allergic to chemicals' in order to justify and rationalise the irrational behaviour. It's harmful because it's isolated you. But when traumatised, the mind does irrational things, and makes irrational decisions with the sole aim of 'staying safe'.

If you really were 'allergic to chemicals', you wouldn't be able breathe as air is a gaseous mixture of nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, argon, methane, helium, ozone, etc. It also includes aerosols and pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, hydrogen sulphide and sulphur dioxide.

OutIsay · 03/12/2025 23:43

I would have rung the police. You need to look into how to do this regardless of this scenario. There are various options for deaf people. https://www.relayuk.bt.com/how-to-use-relay-uk/contact-999-using-relay-uk.html

It is scary when someone is trying to get in and you have no idea who they are (I speak from experience) but you need to be able to summon help.

I am astounded though that none of your neighbours intervened.

Contact 999 using Relay UK - How to use Relay UK | Relay UK

We'll show you how to contact the emergency services by calling 18000 via a relay assistant or texting a message to 999 using our eSMS (emergencySMS) service.

https://www.relayuk.bt.com/how-to-use-relay-uk/contact-999-using-relay-uk.html

plsdontlookatme · 03/12/2025 23:44

I think the nurse was being diligent and attempting to safeguard you. Unless I am mistaken the practice wouldn't have agreed to a home visit unless they had determined that you were vulnerable enough to require one.

However, I know that must have been an unbelievably terrifying and triggering experience and that it is difficult to think about it in clear terms. As a survivor of very extensive abuse myself (abduction, false imprisonment, torture, rape, and stalking) I know that when someone attempted - violently and at length - to smash down my front door, I didn't go to up to it to peer through the peephole - I locked myself in the bathroom and phoned for help. I also panic at the sight of withheld numbers and voicemails. Do you have a Ring doorbell or similar? This would allow you to check who is at the door remotely and might provide some peace of mind. Are you housebound?

Sashya · 03/12/2025 23:46

OP - I am sorry about your door - but I don't think it's fair to accuse the people who were doing their job of some sinister motive. It seems that people genuinely thought they were heling a person in trouble.

Clearly the nurse was told that there was an appointment. It's not her fault that the communication didn't reach you. And - given that you requested an at home blood test - it was not an unusual assumption that there actually were MH issues - hence why you couldn't make it to the surgery.

And in the situation of a person requesting a test not opening the door - I am sure the nurse followed procedure and reported the situatio

I understand that you have a scary history, which makes you behave in a certain way. But, at the same time - you knew someone was trying to contact you. They came, and knocked. You describe it as "aggressively hammering" - but it's nurse, if she does home visits - it's probably for people who need a good loud knock to hear. And with your hearing being severely affected - I think the "aggressiveness" is something you imagined, because of your history.
At that time you did not answer the withheld number. Sure, in that situation - I can understand it.

However - when later people returned and clearly tried to reach you by knocking and by phone - I think it is on you. After many calls - and knocking - a normal assumption is that there is some sort of emergency that people are trying to communicate to me. NO? What if there was some sort of a chemical leak situation? Or some other public emergency? Expecting everyone to know to text you is unrealistic.

Finally - unless your stalker used to be this publicly open and bang and drill into your door for hours - which I doubt - I think you need to realise that you also played a part in this situation by not trying to communicate.

As to who pays for the door - I am sure if you complain the NHS would accept responsibility. But it may all take a long time.

oneoneone · 03/12/2025 23:47

ThorsRaven · 03/12/2025 23:42

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

Incorrect. PTSD and C-PTSD is common amongst prisoners of war; concentration camp survivors; soldiers; civilians who experience war; domestic abuse victims; child abuse victims; hostages; and others subjected to long term violence and abuse.

Your claim of 'stoicism' sounds more like dissociation - which is when a traumatised person disconnects from their thoughts and feelings in order to cope with what is/has happened to them.

Your claim of being 'allergic to chemicals' sounds like an unhelpful false belief and a maladaptive coping mechanism: in order to keep yourself safe, your mind has decided to isolate you from other people and the world. And to do this, you've created this false belief of 'allergic to chemicals' in order to justify and rationalise the irrational behaviour. It's harmful because it's isolated you. But when traumatised, the mind does irrational things, and makes irrational decisions with the sole aim of 'staying safe'.

If you really were 'allergic to chemicals', you wouldn't be able breathe as air is a gaseous mixture of nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, argon, methane, helium, ozone, etc. It also includes aerosols and pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, hydrogen sulphide and sulphur dioxide.

Your claim of 'stoicism' sounds more like dissociation - which is when a traumatised person disconnects from their thoughts and feelings in order to cope with what is/has happened to them.

As does telling this whole long convoluted story in the third person.

I'm sorry for the difficulties you've experienced, OP. I hope you can get some help, but the nurse and fireman were not in the wrong.

plsdontlookatme · 03/12/2025 23:52

(C)PTSD is a shit one because although it's maladaptive, seeking to isolate oneself from others as far as possible after experiencing prolonged abuse is not a ridiculous response. It's hard to treat as a mental illness as a result. If I had the resources I, rightly or wrongly, would absolutely be much more isolated from others than I am now - I feel constantly threatened and unsafe around other people, and given the things that have happened to me, that isn't entirely unreasonable. I'm sure others with a similar background experience the same.

Wonderlandpeony · 03/12/2025 23:52

Surely the surgery had a next of kin on record, or at least your details as you called them in the first place about the blood test?

IntrinsicWorth · 03/12/2025 23:53

I’d probably be looking for a robust welfare check on someone who:

  • is (probably) older
  • is socially isolated
  • for whom a third party health provider has recommended further health checks
  • who I hadn’t seen for years
  • who appeared to be uncontactable or resistant to immediate contact
  • who had previously been threatened with murder by an abusive ex.

Bashing the door down sounds extreme and I feel there is probably a lot more to this story. It’s not something a nurse and the coppers would concoct at first meeting.

ReadingSoManyThreads · 03/12/2025 23:54

@ThisLittlePony No. Some of us can actually write a letter. And did you really need to quote my long comment just for that? You could have just tagged me.

cooksbrandedclock · 03/12/2025 23:56

The biggest surprise, to me, is that someone who has not been known to their GP for years, is easily able to get an NHS home visit by a district nurse for a blood test.

Within the law, people can choose to live how they want. It just seems odd to me, knowing that at some point I would get a home visit that I requested, would not at least say ‘who is there?’, or, ‘can I help you?’, or have a look through a spy hole or Ring camera, to check who is knocking. Health care professionals will knock ‘loud and long’ and even try a door handle, so that is not unusual.

We only have what we have been told, to go on, but some detail must be missing, because, the way in which it has been presented here, it sounds a little doubtful.

Negroany · 03/12/2025 23:58

logiccalls · 03/12/2025 23:10

You would, if your life had been threatened by a persistent stalker, who had nearly managed to kill you previously, wouldn't you?

No, I'd call the police.

But actually, I'd probably go to the door and ask who it was first.

logiccalls · 03/12/2025 23:58

QuornAgain · 03/12/2025 22:31

So the person allegedly has no mental heath issues yet:
believes they are allergic to 'chemicals'
cannot go to a GP surgery
cannot open the door or answer the phone
cannot even speak through the door to confirm that they are ok
believes that someone performing a wellness check and being concerned about the lack of response is 'bullying and abuse of power'
These are all signs of poor mental health, agoraphobia is a serious mental health condition. This person needs to see a counsellor to help them process their trauma so they can try to start leading a normal life again

Why would anyone disbelieve the existence of allergies? By all means look it up, and discover they are increasing, and that being allergic to chemicals is pretty commonplace: Has nobody you know ever felt sick or had headaches or rashes after being exposed to strong scents, or cleaning chemicals?

Being physically disabled, as explained in message, makes it hard to get around. Have you never met anyone with mobility difficulties?

As explained in the post, it is not a question of being unable to open a door or answer a phone, but a question of being justifiably reluctant to do so, unless there is prior appointment, which anyone of friendly intention would do, by text, by ringing the intercom to show themselves, by email, or by phoning from a non witheld number.

It is particularly problematic for a person with a potentially dangerous ex,. but it would also be unwise for any sensibly cautious person, particularly when there are addicts and criminals in the area, and some of them have been discovered to have obtained entry to the building, then been aggressive with the caretaker when he tries to make them leave.

Perhaps it is hard to comprehend that deafness makes it hard to have a cosy chat via a closed door, but it must be easy to understand that a door being aggressively bashed, and the handle tried, when nobody is expected and nobody texts, would make it unwise even for the burliest of nightclub bouncers to merely fling the door wide?

Maybe you did not notice that the person is physically disabled, so difficulty getting out and about is due to physical impairment, with limited mobility. As long as circumstances make it physically possible, millions of people can and do get out, with friends, with cars, with wheelchairs, or however else they can manage . When they are indoors, it is not mental illness and 'agoraphobia', merely practicality.

In your eagerness to diagnose strangers as mentally ill, had you perhaps overlooked the existence of physical disability?

OP posts:
HarrietofFire · 03/12/2025 23:59

Learn from it OP. Answer the door next time.

GoodQueenWenceslaus · 04/12/2025 00:00

logiccalls · 03/12/2025 23:10

You would, if your life had been threatened by a persistent stalker, who had nearly managed to kill you previously, wouldn't you?

Well, no, I'd phone the police, without any doubt whatsoever.

Hons123 · 04/12/2025 00:02

This is surreal....

MaybeItsJustTimeToStop · 04/12/2025 00:02

Could you not have shouted 'please use the intercom' at the first knock?

MysteryNameChange · 04/12/2025 00:02

Negroany · 03/12/2025 23:58

No, I'd call the police.

But actually, I'd probably go to the door and ask who it was first.

Tbf as a victim of persistent stalking, I haven't always behaved rationally. I spent such long periods being intensely stressed and scared that it became hard to judge what was actually a threat, sometimes I'd just freeze And the police aren't always that useful.

ArtichokesBloom · 04/12/2025 00:03

You asked for a home visit and got one. They don't give appointments as generally people needing them are at home...hence they need home visit! You didn't answer door or phone. They were concerned and called fire brigade. For all they knew it was a medical emergency. Claim on your house insurance. Stop being daft and realise you were being given care

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