Dr Kate Granger, MBE visited staff at Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust today to share the story of her ‘hello my name is’ campaign and the importance of good communication with patients and their families.

Kate, a doctor at The Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust who has a terminal cancer, started the campaign two years ago after noticing that many staff looking after her did not introduce themselves before delivering care.  Supported by her husband Chris, Kate went on to start the hello my name is campaign, reminding healthcare staff about the importance of introductions.

Kate said: “I firmly believe it is not just about knowing someone’s name, but it runs much deeper. It is about making a human connection, beginning a therapeutic relationship and building trust. In my mind it is the first rung on the ladder to providing compassionate care.”

The Care Trust is supporting the campaign in a number of ways. The Trust Board committed to embed ‘hello my name is’ at every level of the organisation on NHS Change Day in March 2015.

Visitor badges have the strap line on and Trust computers use hello my name is screen savers. Photo boards of staff greet patients and visitors on the Trust’s hospital wards.

Care Maker ambassadors working across all services of all levels in clinical and non-clinical posts use “Hello, my name is” each day.

Other schemes include the Trust’s 150 staff working across six administration hubs, where each call handler greets the caller with their name.

Kerry Bennett, the Trust’s quality, health and innovation lead said: “Kate is an inspiration, despite her own personal battle she is leading the way in delivering compassionate care.

“As a Trust we fully support Kate’s campaign and we’re pleased she was able to join us today.”

Following her talk, Kate joined staff for a coffee morning, with funds being split between Macmillian Cancer Support and Yorkshire Cancer Centre.

ENDS