Re-launch of ‘Hello, my name is’ campaign in St James’s Hospital

Thursday, 18 April, St James’s Hospital re-launches the ‘hello, my name is…’ campaign, a campaign promoting person-centred, compassionate care from the very first interaction.

The campaign was started by Kate Granger, a former Consultant Geriatrician and terminally ill cancer patient in the UK. Following her admission to hospital in August 2013, Kate noticed that very few of those treating her introduced themselves by name. Shocked by the lack of communication, Kate started the #hellomynameis campaign on social media aiming to encourage and remind hospital staff of the importance of introducing themselves to patients. Dr Granger sadly passed away in 2016, but her legacy lives on through the impact of the #hellomynameis campaign.

The campaign originally launched in St James’s Hospital in 2016 and today staff are being asked to re-sign the pledge, committing once again to introduce themselves to patients, family and colleagues by making their name and their role known. For staff that have joined the hospital since 2016, this is an opportunity to sign the pledge in St James’s Hospital for the first time. 

Commenting on the re-launch of the campaign, CEO Mary Day says, “re-launching the ‘hello, my name is’ campaign reinforces our continued commitment to the delivery of person-centred, compassionate care here at St James’s Hospital. A simple, friendly introduction and explaining your role in the hospital sets the foundations for a positive and trusting relationship between the patient and healthcare provider”.

Director of Nursing here in St James’s Hospital, Sharon Slattery, echoes Mary Day’s sentiment, noting that “introducing ourselves to patients is the first step in building a trusting and caring relationship with our nursing and healthcare assistant staff”.

A simple but important campaign that we encourage all staff to get involved with. Use the hashtag #hellomynameis across your socials and help us make this the norm!