Help me out guys , brooding about an incident earlier this week. Was iBU ?

[2beesornot2beesthatisthehoney]

So a colleague of mine is quite ill in hospital, and now unable to communicate but otherwise up and about. He has hardly any family and none nearby so has few visitors. This is very relevant.
Not being able to communicate can make a stay in hospital very boring, frustrating and long. Believe me.
So I decided to give him a present of a spare disabled iPhone I had which still has music and audio books on to help pass the time.He is not technology minded and I knew he didn't have one. Other colleagues were really not keen on me doing this although what the fuck it has to do with them anyhow I have no idea and tried to persuade me not to. He wouldn't want it ; he wouldn't want to be responsible for it ( it was a gift!) As we weren't sure if he reallly wanted visitors and they were visiting him that day , originally they said they would do this for me . I wasn't that keen to be honest as I didn't think they would even offer it to him ( given their previous comments) and so I decided the best thing to do was drop if off at the ward reception with a letter. When I arrived later that day I actually met him but he seemed pleased to see me ( we have known each other quite a long time which is probably relevant) I gave him the iPhone explained what was on it. No idea if he will use it but seemed interested and was obviously touched by the thought. I came away thinking I had done the right thing . and that my colleagues were over-protectionist misguded wankers I also found out he wasn't able to read as he didn't have his glasses, and reported this the next day, as I thought there might be a pair of his at the office. He had told them that afternoon before he didn't want any office visitors . I did not know this before going. Strange as he was very happy to see me and even then I checked several times if he didn't just want me to go there and then having handed him the present. I stayed about 1/4 of an hour then left.
Colleagues are furious with me and don't appear to be talking to me! They don't seem keen to see if we can help with glasses so he will be another week or so before that could be sorted if it even is. So I am just carrying on, ignoring the fact that they appear to be ignoring me and talking regardless. WWYD? DH says if I feel like going in again , although not sure I will , I should just go and not say anything to them . Was I right to deliver the present anyway. Are they BU ignoring me?
Thanks for reading.

@purplecollar obviously it depends on the ward, and there is no way I'd be touching other patients' or their bedding. But little things I've done is if a magazine has slipped off their bed and they've asked for me to pick it up, or if I've gone to fill my relative's water jug I've had a "while you're there love...?" request to do theirs. (and yes, I've always checked that's ok at the nurse station on the way)

• 2beesornot2beesthatisthehoney Thu 27-Apr-17 13:28:28

I did not intend to visit, I intended to drop off a letter and iPhone with reception.
Bumping into him was an accident , him passing time by pacing the corridor. He is not confined to bed nor too ill to get up. *

It looks as though he didn't mind you visiting as he seen you in the corridor and if he didn't want a visit he could have made you aware of that and refused the phone if he wasn't interested

SL = sick leave

I was having lunch and other colleague came in to canteen .

Oh sorry - got confused (happens all the time )

It you turn up at hospital with an expensive gift (iPhones have some resale value, the minimum for a really old one is about £25) then the person is going to feel duty bound to be as polite as possible.

I don't think this poor man's illness should be used as a points scoring exercise between you, the line manager and the other staff - it sounds like the politics have got way out of hand.

Perhaps just let the man have his privacy and don't phone the nurses/turn up etc. I'm sure they will contact you if he wants to pass a message to you or wants you to visit.

Crikey, I think you sound very kind and thoughtful and have no idea why PPs have said you overstepped the mark. If you don't trust his line manager to tell the truth about visitors, you could call the ward and ask whether a) he would like his glasses, and if he does, whether he'd prefer a visit or just someone posting them to him/dropping them off. If he does want them, you can then go and get them from his manager, armed with his authorisation.

Livia The man does have my contact details so yes he could contact me if he wants or get someone to and I am not going chase him.
As I said wanted to know was I BU originally. Re ignoring etc

I suspect he has no idea how much an iPhone costs. To me it has no value, it is a spare . To others, inc LM they might attribute more value .

Agree with bill. I think you need to be careful.

Hospitals often advise against people having expensive items like iphones.

I would email his line manager saying he asked for his glasses to be sent to him, and leave it at that.