#hellomynameis: compassionate care through social media

This July 23rd marks another #hellomynameis Day, a campaign created by Dr. Kate Granger MBE and Chris Pointon to put both staff and patient trust back into healthcare. The inspiration behind the campaign arose when Dr. Granger was admitted into hospital and found herself frustrated with healthcare staff who did not introduce themselves before administering care. After enlisting the help of her husband Chris, the campaign was born, encouraging healthcare staff to take the time to introduce themselves to patients.

After the unfortunate passing of Dr. Granger 23rd July 2016 due to terminal cancer, Chris continues the fight for better communication between staff and patients. The campaign has proved to be popular with Trusts across the NHS and has managed to gain over 2 billion impressions on social media so far. #hellomynameis has proved to be a quick, easy and cost-effective way of building trust in healthcare through the smallest of acts.

One of the first initiatives to have stemmed from the hashtag was the named badges for healthcare staff, with £1 from every badge donated to the Leeds Cancer Centre Charity. Over 80 NHS Trusts are now involved in the campaign and now many other items such as lanyards, mugs and wristbands are available to remind staff to initiate communication with their patients.

Twitter initiatives from Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, for example, are working on building that element of trust from before the patient even enters the hospital. The weekly team highlight on the Trust’s twitter profile introduces you to a new member of the healthcare staff each week, using the technology available to further spread the message of trust and communication at the core of the #hellomynameis campaign.

 

As we celebrate this year’s #hellomynameis Day it is important to remember how we can keep patients at the forefront of care. The simple effort of an introduction can make all the difference to the patient and allows them to be seen as a person first, before their ailment. The success of the campaign has shown how we can use the power of social media to make compassionate human connections.

 
Ideas are welcome all year round. Anyone who has inspiration can contact Chris Pointon via the website hellomynameis.org.uk

Source: HealthManagement.org

Image Credit: #hellomynameis