Care home/Nursing home.

[ummmm]

Are care/nursing home staff allowed to accept cash from patients?

[ummmm]

My Aunt will have it logged...she does his accounts.

[RATTER15]

The care home would certainly need to be informed of any gifts made to staff so this can recorded at the care home in case of repurcussions at a later date.

Im thinking of the Staff a bit here, they could be wide open to abuse allegations if it isnt dealt with properly.

I think personally that if he insists on giving this amount of money and he is fully aware of what he is doing then perhaps your Aunt should make the gift outside of the home.

[ummmm]

Him giving the money is not really an issue. We think it's a bit much but it's his money to do with what he wants. The only concern is the fact that it might have been hinted at, making him feel obliged to give it.

[bednobs]

well if that's your only concern, i can't see what you can do other than iterrogate the staff who'll all deny it anyway!

[woofgang]

What is the manager like? Could you raise it with them tactfully?

[ummmm]

We don't plan on doing anything. Just wanted to know for future reference.

[woofgang]

Well yes but if it was hinted, who else have they hinted to who might be feeling pressurised and can't afford it? you might SA nt to ask the manager what the policy is without saying anything more?

[ummmm]

I think my Aunt will say something. She's a carer herself and their policy is to not accept cash.

[lcg]

no. cash 'gifts' are not allowed - and can be seen as extortion or stealing if the person is vulnerable (i.e. dependent on that person's care). if i accepted that off one of my patients, i would be fired and have my registration taken away. you should discuss this issue with your relative, or the management of the company the staff work for. £800 is absolutely ridiculous. i expect your relative does feel he 'has' to do something, but this is really far too much.

[RATTER15]

lcg76, >>no. cash 'gifts' are not allowed<< that is a very broad statement, it may not be allowed where you work but there is no law against it, and as for registration being taken away, im confused a little by that? do you work in a hospital?

[lcg]

yes i work in a hospital, but it is no different to a nursing/care home in the respect of taking something off a vulnerable person or someone who is reliant on you for care of some kind. as has been mentioned before, the odd box of chocolates or something small may be acceptable...and you usually have to 'register' such a gift with an employer (if you want to be pedantic). but a gift of £100? smacks of lords knows what...poor gentleman x

[ummmm]

I think lcg is a psychiatric nurse?

Ratter - surely you can see that £100 plus normal gifts is excessive? It's not like him either. If this was just his nature it wouldn't be discussed among us, but it's not his nature. That's why when he first mentioned it, alarm bells started ringing.

He gets visits every single day from family members....without fail. So it's not like the care staff are the only people he sees.

[ummmm]

And he's 87 and bedbound....

[RATTER15]

lcg76, I accept it is not ethical but also not illegal and yes it should be recorded by employer.

This would be a little more complicated if the resident concerned did not have mental capacity but in this case he has full mental capacity.

But no one in a care home or nursing home would lose any registration as no registration is actually required.

However if you abuse a vulnerable person and it is proven you could be placed on the POVA register, then you would never work with these people again.

Ok, I can be a little pedantic at times as well.

[lcg]

in that case, ummm, i would report it to the care company and discuss it with him. this just isn't right and if he wants to spend the money, he could do a lot better with it - even if he is just frittering it away and enjoying it himself. just not on the carers - if they are prepared to accept that off an old gent, what else will they do? i wouldn't even take it off my own granny and i'd be very worried about him x

[RATTER15]

£100 is certainly excessive, and should not be given or accepted. Im just saying that it is not illegal in this situation.

[lcg]

ratter - the very fact he is using carers means he is vulnerable. abuse isn't just bashing old people, it can be far more insidious than that and i have reported colleagues for far less (one for lending a patient £20 who then went and spent it on drugs, for example - which was completely predictable). you may be the 'p' word, but we love you for it! i know it's not illegal per se, but the carer would have a hard time explaining it if it was reported to the police, social services, employer etc. and quite rightly so x

[4getmenot]

depends on the care homes policy. Our carers cant accept anything over £5.00, but anything under they still have to write a list of what they are given to be kept on file.

[dzug2]

I suspect that even if it was 'hinted at' they had in mind something trivial, not £100.