I think this is the right place, as I didnt think it suited mh discussion, since it's a Christmas issue rather than a mh issue.
Anyway, I normally give my CPN a Christmas card, which is not a problem (well she never refuses it). This year I am thinking of giving her a present. I am thinking of baking her a cake, that way if she cant accept it for whatever reason I can always eat it or give it to my dad (who will eat it). She has accepted pieces of cake/individual cupcakes before, and also I cant think what else she would like (she likes Pandora charms and Boo Radley handbags, but they are out of my price range and even if they werent, I think she would think it's too much).
Am I being ridiculous, or does anyone else give their CPN/SW a present? I used to give (years ago) my support worker a present and she always give me one, so I dont think it is a complete blanket ban.
Also I am thinking of giving my psych a Christmas card. I dont think he would have a problem with that, but I only see him once a year so I dont think a present would be appropriate.
So can anyone see any problems with this?
Wannabe CPN : -)
"He who is tired of Weird Al is tired of life." - Homer Simpson "I hear those voices that will not be drowned" Sanity is a nasty disease. The world would be a happier place without it. - Rilic
RIP Kat 4th July 1987- 11th June 2013
If you wanted to, potentially you could discuss it with her before- she may well tell you you don't need to do that (which you will know- you're doing it because you want to), rather than say 'no', but that would be a way to get some reassurance from her, if you wanted to. I don't know if that sentence makes sense. :
Thanks Dash, and your paragraph made sense to me. Unfortunately I only see her once every 3 weeks unless there's a crisis (and I dont feel that I need to see her more than that) and she's not due to come until the 18th. So I wont be able to ask her.
I have also given her a card for Nurses Day (since she's a nurse after all) and she's accepted that, so I dont think she's totally against accepting things from me (I would give her a birthday card, except I dont know when her birthday is). In fact she showed last year Nurses day card to my psych, so it's not like she's keeping it a secret.
What about giving a card to my psych? Can you see a problem with that?
Wannabe CPN : -)
"He who is tired of Weird Al is tired of life." - Homer Simpson "I hear those voices that will not be drowned" Sanity is a nasty disease. The world would be a happier place without it. - Rilic
RIP Kat 4th July 1987- 11th June 2013
Cards and gifts are generally fine as long as they don't exceed thirty pounds (NHS legislation means they can't accept them if over this amount). Personally I just give my team cards, and would only be inclined to give a present if I were finishing therapy or being discharged. But everyone's different and who doesn't like presents?!
I don't see a problem with either. My da is a doctor and he gets all sorts of gifts from patients and I don't think he considers that at all inappropriate.
I think a baked gift sounds perfect.
And I also see no problem with getting your psych a Christmas card, I'm sure he'll be chuffed.
Thanks Shed, Dash and Jenna. I didnt know about the £30 limit, I dont know how much the cake would cost (since apart from the eggs and milk I have all the ingredients already), but it's probably less than a £5. The most expensive ingredient is the sugar (because it's not normal caster sugar).
It's just that she is always so good and helpful to me. I dont see anyone else from the cmht apart from her, so it's not like I have a whole team to buy for.
Wannabe CPN : -)
"He who is tired of Weird Al is tired of life." - Homer Simpson "I hear those voices that will not be drowned" Sanity is a nasty disease. The world would be a happier place without it. - Rilic
RIP Kat 4th July 1987- 11th June 2013
I didn't know about the £30 thing either, how interesting. I would feel very uncomfy spending that much on a professional, but have given cakes, framed paintings I've done, and once a lush bath bomb to professionals who were leaving. When i finished therapy the first time i did give my therapist quite a few gifts. A couple of cakes, a mix cd, framed small painting and a hand painted plate i think. Maybe something else but i can't remember now. But that is the most I've ever given. They have always been happily accepted.
I'm training to be an OT and one of the things we're told is that we can't accept gifts from patients as NHS policy. But I guess you have to take things on a case-by-case basis.
This. I gave a support worker a gift once and she refused it (I fully understand the reasoning behind refusing gifts) and I felt really embarrassed and haven't given any gifts since. I have done cards though and received cards from different members of the CMHT. It's funny because I always give the practice nurse at my GP surgery a present at Christmas and it's always gratefully accepted. Experiences of this seem really variable.
I'm training to be an OT and one of the things we're told is that we can't accept gifts from patients as NHS policy. But I guess you have to take things on a case-by-case basis.
That's why I was thinking of a cake, that way it wont get wasted if for some reason she cant accept it. I or my dad will eat it if she cant have it. If it was another present (say for example a necklace) it would be a bit more problematic - I would either have to think of someone else to give it or have to return it to the store.
Also, like I said in a previous post she has accepted slice of cake or individual cupcakes (and she has taken them away, not ate in front of me), so it probably means it is a individual trust/cmht thing rather than a whole nationwide thing.
Wannabe CPN : -)
"He who is tired of Weird Al is tired of life." - Homer Simpson "I hear those voices that will not be drowned" Sanity is a nasty disease. The world would be a happier place without it. - Rilic
RIP Kat 4th July 1987- 11th June 2013
Wannabe CPN : -)
"He who is tired of Weird Al is tired of life." - Homer Simpson "I hear those voices that will not be drowned" Sanity is a nasty disease. The world would be a happier place without it. - Rilic
RIP Kat 4th July 1987- 11th June 2013
They sometimes wont accept homemade food items,unless theyve been baked in front of another professional...due to erm poisoning issues. Im definitely not saying this would be you, I would check with the cmht to see if they are allowed to accept baked goods.
I thinknits a nice idea xx
I saw my cpn before & gave her the cake plus a card. She accepted it without any problems & thanked me. Sadly she wasn't going to see my psych so I wasn't able to give him a card. I will give my psych a card next year though.
Wannabe CPN : -)
"He who is tired of Weird Al is tired of life." - Homer Simpson "I hear those voices that will not be drowned" Sanity is a nasty disease. The world would be a happier place without it. - Rilic
RIP Kat 4th July 1987- 11th June 2013
The CMHT I work at is overrun by chocolate gifts at the moment!
I bet she will appreciate the cake!
Xox
When we lose twenty pounds... we may be losing the twenty best pounds we have! We may be losing the pounds that contain our genius, our humanity, our love and honesty. ~Woody Allen
Is a chocolate muffin loving glitter ball
Yes though she said with her husband it wont last that long. I told her that not to eat it until Saturday (because it's crumbles if you eat it too early) but it's best to leave it as long as possible. She said that she's going to eat it Christmas Eve, though.
The kind of cake I made was a fruit loaf with sultanas in (you can make it with any dried fruit, but I prefer sultanas). It takes about 2 1/2 hours to make. It's a family recipe, when my mum got out the piece of paper it was written on the temperature was written in Fahrenheit! (UK ovens are in Celsius) So I doubt that she will have tasted it before - whereas she's had chocolate fudge cake & Victoria sponge cake before from me (at least that's what I can remember giving her). Thankfully she's not vegan because I would struggle with vegan recipes (I know plenty of veggie friendly recipes).
Wannabe CPN : -)
"He who is tired of Weird Al is tired of life." - Homer Simpson "I hear those voices that will not be drowned" Sanity is a nasty disease. The world would be a happier place without it. - Rilic
RIP Kat 4th July 1987- 11th June 2013
