Legal advice: Why does my manager says it's unethical to lend a patient my DVDs?

Giving, or even lending, something to a patient can be misconstrued, so obtain consent from your manager and follow the NMC code, says legal expert Marc Cornock

Your manager is likely referring to an inverse gift-giving scenario – instead of you receiving a gift from your patient, it is you who is giving the gift, even though it is just a loan and not a permanent gift.

Although in this case the normal situation is reversed, the unethical issue your manager seems to have concerns about is how giving a gift to a patient can be interpreted, and whether you are adhering to the Nursing and Midwifery Council code.

A gift from one person to another could be seen as a way of exerting power or manipulating a situation.