Medical results & info opened by neighbour

oncewereworriers · 15 March 2017 at 5:15PM

I'm stressed as my recent hospital biopsy results and current medical issues have been opened by a neighbour and she posted it through my door on the sunday.
I know the opening other peoples mail has been covered in some way on the forum, but this was addressed in my name but the number 1 was handwritten in a way that the post office delivered it to number 7, who opened it, saw the correct address typed within and delivered it.
They tried to restick it back down, didn't knock on the door to apologize or explain.
I have mental health issues and my neighbours are rather gossipy, they act like depression is contagious, I already have two neighbours that blank me. I'd like to go around and talk to the lady but I'm not very good at talking to people and terrified how far this information will go.

The address should have been clearly written and the lady at number 7 shouldn't have opened it but it had no private and confidential or addressee only warning but it did have a return address that if you'd searched it would have come up as an NHS hospital.
Does anyone have any advice on how to handle this? I can except a maybe accidental opening but what if the information within does the rounds?

tensandunits_2 · 15 March 2017 at 5:21PM

Could you photograph the hand-written envelope (as evidence that the address was easy to mistake) and then register a comment with the department concerned (or with PALS)?

Do you and the person at number 7 know each other by name?

teddysmum · 15 March 2017 at 5:46PM

I think most of us have opened mail by mistake, at some time, especially when envelopes stick together and you open the one whose front is hidden.

The neighbour may well have been expecting an NHS letter anyway (quite common on our estate of aging occupants), but on reading the contents felt embarrassed about facing you.

Torry_Quine · 15 March 2017 at 5:49PM

teddysmum wrote: »

I think most of us have opened mail by mistake, at some time, especially when envelopes stick together and you open the one whose front is hidden.

The neighbour may well have been expecting an NHS letter anyway (quite common on our estate of aging occupants), but on reading the contents felt embarrassed about facing you.

That was my thought.

teddysmum · 15 March 2017 at 5:50PM

tensandunits wrote: »

Could you photograph the hand-written envelope (as evidence that the address was easy to mistake) and then register a comment with the department concerned (or with PALS)?

Do you and the person at number 7 know each other by name?

The person writing the address may be foreign , so not in the wrong. The French do ones that look like our sevens, then 'their ' sevens have a line through them (look like back to front Fs).

Mojisola · 15 March 2017 at 5:54PM

oncewereworriers wrote: »

I'm stressed as my recent hospital biopsy results and current medical issues have been opened by a neighbour and she posted it through my door on the sunday.

They tried to restick it back down, didn't knock on the door to apologize or explain.

The address should have been clearly written and the lady at number 7 shouldn't have opened it

tensandunits wrote: »

Could you photograph the hand-written envelope (as evidence that the address was easy to mistake) and then register a comment with the department concerned (or with PALS)?

It's likely that it was opened by mistake - try not to get too stressed about the neighbour's actions. At least they were good enough to bring it round to you - they could just have thrown it away and left you to chase up the results.

It's worth pointing out to the department who sent it out that the envelope should have been more clearly written - as tensandunits suggests.

rach_k · 15 March 2017 at 5:57PM

I think a sensible approach would be to go round or write a simple note to say thank you to her for posting it through your door and for her discretion. There's no need to start talking about whether she should have opened it or not and no need to mention gossip. There's nothing you can do about it now anyway, and antagonising her by suggesting she might be anything other than decent might backfire. Be nice and expect the best of people and generally they will be nice and live up to your expectations

fairy_lights · 15 March 2017 at 6:05PM

I really don't think there's any need to go and talk to your neighbour about it, that will only make it in to a bigger issue than it needs to be. She probably opened the letter, saw it wasn't for her, thought "oh crap, this is for number 1 not number 7" and posted it through your door without giving it any more thought.
I know I've opened post that has mistakenly been delivered to me before and didn't give it a second thought, I certainly wouldn't think it was worth gossiping about.

parking_question_chap · 15 March 2017 at 6:14PM

fairy_lights wrote: »

I really don't think there's any need to go and talk to your neighbour about it, that will only make it in to a bigger issue than it needs to be. She probably opened the letter, saw it wasn't for her, thought "oh crap, this is for number 1 not number 7" and posted it through your door without giving it any more thought.
I know I've opened post that has mistakenly been delivered to me before and didn't give it a second thought, I certainly wouldn't think it was worth gossiping about.

This

I never look much at the letter name and address. It it starts with a Mr I open it.

tensandunits_2 · 15 March 2017 at 7:29PM

teddysmum wrote: »

The person writing the address may be foreign , so not in the wrong. The French do ones that look like our sevens, then 'their ' sevens have a line through them (look like back to front Fs).

Yes, same with German 1s and 7s. Maybe it's a European thing?

Katiehound · 15 March 2017 at 10:41PM

I've certainly opened a bank statement / CC statement without looking at the front of the envelope. If the letter falls on your doormat you assume it is for You!! When I start reading the letter and it's not addressed to me I just stick it back in the envelope
I just scribble "opened in error" on the envelope and put through the correct door.
We used to get loads of wrongly delivered mail- same no. just wrong street! and frequently things got opened. Thankfully the incompetant postman has gone

I think you need to accept it was an accident and also assume that your neighbour has already forgotten about it.

Medical results & info opened by neighbour

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