Temple Street is delighted to launch the all-important and long awaited HELLO MY NAME IS campaign, which was founded by Kate Granger
Kate was a doctor in the UK and also a terminally ill cancer patient. During a hospital stay in August 2013 with post-operative sepsis, she made the stark observation that many staff looking after her did not introduce themselves before delivering care
She felt it was incredibly wrong that such a basic step in communication was missing and after ranting at my husband during one evening visiting time he encouraged me to “stop whinging and do something!”
And so Kate founded the ‘Hello My Name Is’ campaign using social media initially to remind healthcare staff about the importance of introductions in healthcare which has since been rolled out across number hospitals in the UK and Ireland. In her own words she said ……..“I firmly believe it is not just about common courtesy, but it runs much deeper. Introductions are about making a human connection between one human being who is suffering and vulnerable, and another human being who wishes to help. They begin therapeutic relationships and can instantly build trust in difficult circumstances. In my mind #hellomynameis is the first rung on the ladder to providing truly person-centred, compassionate care”
And so we are officially on the this first rung of the ladder in Temple Street to providing truly person-centred, compassionate care. By acknowledging and launching this campaign, we are acknowledging patients, no matter how small they are and their families as partners in their own care.
We are saying that we will go out of our way to ensure that we are treat all people who walk through the door of Temple Street dignity, respect and kindness. We will provide care that is coordinated and We will support patients and families to develop the knowledge, skills and confidence to make informed choices.
We will continue to create an environment where we can all engage with patients and deliver care that is focused on their individual needs and goals. But at the very core of this we are asking you all to introduce yourselves whenever you interact with patients and families and indeed each other.
This campaign is simple – reminding staff to go back to basics and introduce themselves to patients properly and then to be as clear as possible when we give patients and families information about their health
When we explain things clearly and with care and compassion, people have more confidence and trust in us and are more likely to take our advice, and follow medical guidance. They are happy to ask us questions about our advice so that they can take better care of their health.
Clear and compassionate communication makes for better outcomes and a better experience for the people in our care. We put ourselves in our patients and service users’ shoes when talking to them: “Is there anything else you need to know?”
We use plain language to explain complex terms: “Let me explain…”. We listen to what they have to say and respond kindly: “I am here to help you understand everything.”
We give contact details for more information: “In case you want more information…”. We write so that those we care for can understand our letters and instructions and we use clear language and everyday words and we write it as we would say it, using plain language.
We avoid using jargon, abbreviations and acronyms. We clearly explain the purpose of our letters and documents.
We ask non-medical staff to check that our letters and documents are easy to understand. We use ‘I’, ‘we’ and ‘you’ to personalise our letters and documents. We use short sentences and paragraphs. We give our contact details so the reader can contact us for more information.
But we always start with the all-important personal introduction.
Meet Dr Kate Grainger, Hello My Name Is campaign founder
Introduction to Temple Street’s Hello My Name Is campaign
