Letters
We welcome all readers’ letters, but reserve the right to edit them or withhold names and addresses. Please email: [email protected]
Please keep letters to a maximum of 150 words, and include your full name, address and a daytime telephone number
Celebrate the spirit and pleasure of giving and receiving presents There has been a great deal of discussion in recent weeks about gifts from patients to nurses prompting accusations of favouritism or preferential treatment (News December 18). But where is the evidence for this? I have not heard or seen any instances where gifts from patients might be seen as an attempt to curry favour. This may or may not be a problem, but we read nothing about the gifts to patients from their nurses and care staff. As a hospital and hospice volunteer, I have seen year in, year out the most wonderful loving generosity at Christmas time from healthcare staff to their patients and residents. There is the care home manager who would be hugely embarrassed to be exposed as digging deep into her own pockets to boost her residents’ social fund. I won’t name the nurse who buys bottles of the most expensive colourful nail varnish and manicure implements, and carefully trims and paints her patients’ fingernails – all in her own time. A usually stern and gruff nurse was transformed this Christmas into a Santa Claus of great warmth, spirit and generosity, who dished out a huge bag of sweets and chocolate he had bought – all beautifully gift-wrapped. I could go on and on. Happy new year, everyone. Jeff Williams, by email
TO REFUSE GIFTS FROM PATIENTS WOULD BE RUDE AND CHURLISH It saddens me that your lead news story in the last issue of 2013 was a warning from a legal expert that nurses who accept gifts from patients at Christmas could leave themselves open to accusations of encouraging favouritism or preferential treatment (News December 18). 34 january 8 :: vol 28 no 19 :: 2014
I have worked in hospitals and care homes for almost 30 years, and my colleagues and I have never had any problems with gifts from patients or their relatives. Nor have I ever heard of any gifts from patients being seen as anything other than a genuine and heartfelt expression of thanks. I live on my own, so I am more than happy to work over the Christmas and new year holidays, and help out as best I can. At holiday times, patients want to give something back to their carers, and this is often reflected in small tokens of food, drink and toiletries. Their thanks is something that is much appreciated and helps to boost morale. Yet I read that many organisations now require staff to declare items given to them above a certain value on a gifts and hospitality register – or even refuse the gifts. How mean spirited, and what a bureaucratic waste of time and effort. To refuse gifts would be churlish in the extreme and, I am sure, cause a great deal of misunderstanding and offence. Helen Evans, by email
PATIENT ALLOCATION AND THE NURSING PROCESS AT WORK The concept of the named nurse goes back much further than the 1980s (News November 27 and Letters December 11). Under the guises of primary nursing and patient allocation, for example, it has been around at least since the 1960s. As a nursing student at Guy’s in the 1960s, patient allocation was the norm from our first day on the ward. However, none of my friends training elsewhere used it. There was resurgence of interest in the 1970s following the publication of a number of articles and books in the United States and the introduction of the nursing process and care planning. Di Marks-Maran and I undertook a series of studies at the London Hospital to introduce and evaluate care planning based on the nursing process. In 1980, we published a ‘how to’ book, Nursing Care Plan: The Nursing Process at Work. In it, we outlined the pros and cons of different
NURSING STANDARD
Downloaded from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 28, 2015. For personal use only. No other uses without permission. Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
We welcome all readers’ letters, but reserve the right to edit them or withhold names and addresses. Please email: [email protected]
Please keep letters to a maximum of 150 words, and include your full name, address and a daytime telephone number
Celebrate the spirit and pleasure of giving and receiving presents There has been a great deal of discussion in recent weeks about gifts from patients to nurses prompting accusations of favouritism or preferential treatment (News December 18). But where is the evidence for this? I have not heard or seen any instances where gifts from patients might be seen as an attempt to curry favour. This may or may not be a problem, but we read nothing about the gifts to patients from their nurses and care staff. As a hospital and hospice volunteer, I have seen year in, year out the most wonderful loving generosity at Christmas time from healthcare staff to their patients and residents. There is the care home manager who would be hugely embarrassed to be exposed as digging deep into her own pockets to boost her residents’ social fund. I won’t name the nurse who buys bottles of the most expensive colourful nail varnish and manicure implements, and carefully trims and paints her patients’ fingernails – all in her own time. A usually stern and gruff nurse was transformed this Christmas into a Santa Claus of great warmth, spirit and generosity, who dished out a huge bag of sweets and chocolate he had bought – all beautifully gift-wrapped. I could go on and on. Happy new year, everyone. Jeff Williams, by email
TO REFUSE GIFTS FROM PATIENTS WOULD BE RUDE AND CHURLISH It saddens me that your lead news story in the last issue of 2013 was a warning from a legal expert that nurses who accept gifts from patients at Christmas could leave themselves open to accusations of encouraging favouritism or preferential treatment (News December 18). 34 january 8 :: vol 28 no 19 :: 2014
I have worked in hospitals and care homes for almost 30 years, and my colleagues and I have never had any problems with gifts from patients or their relatives. Nor have I ever heard of any gifts from patients being seen as anything other than a genuine and heartfelt expression of thanks. I live on my own, so I am more than happy to work over the Christmas and new year holidays, and help out as best I can. At holiday times, patients want to give something back to their carers, and this is often reflected in small tokens of food, drink and toiletries. Their thanks is something that is much appreciated and helps to boost morale. Yet I read that many organisations now require staff to declare items given to them above a certain value on a gifts and hospitality register – or even refuse the gifts. How mean spirited, and what a bureaucratic waste of time and effort. To refuse gifts would be churlish in the extreme and, I am sure, cause a great deal of misunderstanding and offence. Helen Evans, by email
PATIENT ALLOCATION AND THE NURSING PROCESS AT WORK The concept of the named nurse goes back much further than the 1980s (News November 27 and Letters December 11). Under the guises of primary nursing and patient allocation, for example, it has been around at least since the 1960s. As a nursing student at Guy’s in the 1960s, patient allocation was the norm from our first day on the ward. However, none of my friends training elsewhere used it. There was resurgence of interest in the 1970s following the publication of a number of articles and books in the United States and the introduction of the nursing process and care planning. Di Marks-Maran and I undertook a series of studies at the London Hospital to introduce and evaluate care planning based on the nursing process. In 1980, we published a ‘how to’ book, Nursing Care Plan: The Nursing Process at Work. In it, we outlined the pros and cons of different
NURSING STANDARD
Downloaded from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 28, 2015. For personal use only. No other uses without permission. Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
