CLCH supports 'Hello my name is...' campaign

Central London Community Healthcare (CLCH) is joining a massive social media movement launched by a terminally ill doctor from the north of England.

The 'Hello my name is…' campaign was spearheaded by Dr Kate Granger, a young hospital consultant from Yorkshire who works in elderly care, to improve the patient experience not only here in the UK, but across the world. Kate became frustrated with the number of staff who failed to introduce themselves to her when she was in hospital.

Her campaign on  Twitter is inspiring nurses, doctors, therapists, receptionists, porters, domestics and staff in all roles.

Dr Granger, 33, has terminal cancer, and has made it her mission in whatever time she has left to get as many members of NHS staff as possible pledging to introduce themselves to their patients.

This campaign is simple - reminding staff to go back to basics and introduce themselves to patients properly. Kate talks about this as "the first rung on the ladder to providing compassionate care" and sees it as the start of making a vital human connection, beginning a therapeutic relationship and building trust between patients and healthcare staff.

The campaign is being endorsed by an increasing number of well-known figures including David Cameron,  Jeremy Hunt, the Countess of Wessex, Bob Geldof and Drew Barrymore.

Charlie Sheldon, Deputy Chief Nurse and Director of Patient Safety at CLCH said: "Compassion in care and building positive relationships with our patients is a crucial part of our commitment to ensuring we deliver quality services at CLCH. We are proud to support Kate and the 'Hello my name is…' campaign by reminding our staff of simple techniques they can use to help make their patients feel comfortable and well cared for."

We have joined forces with more than 80 NHS organisations that have pledged to launch/boost their own 'Hello my name is…' collectively on 2nd February. In our Trust alone we employ almost 3,000 staff working with almost a million patients each year. That's how many lives can be impacted by this as it spreads. The collective launch will boost the national campaign around compassionate care considerably, with 400,000+ staff potentially involved.

You can support Dr Granger's campaign on Twitter by sending her a message at @GrangerKate, including your name and the phrase #hellomynameis. To find about more about the campaign, visit www.hellomynameis.org.uk/home.

Watch a short message from Kate here or hear more about her story by clicking on this link.