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Ten years since the #hellomynameis campaign began, we explore nurses’ power to promote dignity and person-centred care by compassionate communication
It is seven years since #hellomynameis founder Kate Granger died, but as the campaign for a friendlier health service that she instigated ten years ago continues to thrive, her widower believes she is ‘smiling down’.
Nursing Standard. 38, 8, 67-69. doi: 10.7748/ns.38.8.67.s22
Published: 02 August 2023
As an inpatient with terminal cancer, consultant geriatrician Dr Granger was frustrated by how many healthcare staff failed to introduce themselves to her. This galvanised her in August 2013 to start the #hellomynameis campaign, calling on front-line NHS staff to make proper introductions to patients, using their names.
A decade on, her movement for person-centred care now covers the UK and many other countries, and the #hellomynameis name badge is still very much in use.
Her widower and campaign co-founder Chris Pointon recalls how the idea was conceived when his wife noticed hospital staff did not introduce themselves. The only person who introduced himself with his name was the porter.
Mr Pointon was at his wife’s bedside when she complained about this, and he jokingly told her to ‘stop whingeing’ and do something about it. Dr Granger posted a Tweet and her plea went viral. The hashtag #hellomynameis has achieved more than 2.5 billion impressions (views), according to the campaign’s website.
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust invited Dr Granger for a chat about the issue. ‘They became the flagship trust for the campaign,’ Mr Pointon says. ‘All the staff wear the #hellomynameis badges and hear how it started on their induction.
‘There is a huge amount of love for the campaign because of how it started. It wasn’t a directive from above, it started from within. It’s a simple, friendly message that takes little time and that is why it continues. It’s incredible and I feel Kate smiling down on us.’
The #hellomynameis campaign was soon supported by more than 400,000 nurses, doctors and other healthcare staff in at least 100 NHS organisations in the UK and 20 countries worldwide. It has been endorsed by celebrities including Kylie Minogue. Dr Granger was made an MBE in 2015 for services to patient care.
Mr Pointon continues to promote the campaign through talks and presentations.
‘This year because it is the tenth anniversary, I said to myself I’ll do as many as I can around work,’ he says.
Ruth Evans is managing director of the Patient Experience Network, which recognises and shares good practice.
‘Someone introducing themselves by using their name is a leveller and leads to an equal conversation. That’s why it matters so much’
Dave Bracher, campaigns manager, Spinal Injuries Association
She says: ‘I heard Dr Kate Granger speak a couple of times and was very caught up in her story. She was inspirational and I have used #hellomynameis as an icebreaker in a lot in meetings, and told her story.
‘When you make that one-toone connection, you can have a conversation. Most of the trusts we work with, and health organisations, have the badges or lanyards now.
‘At the heart is that deep understanding that the small things make a difference, and this leads to an opportunity to have a meaningful conversation. The first encounter is critical, and this has a halo effect when you feel you have been recognised. That is what Kate got – that we need to put the patient at the centre of our care, understand what is right for them and their perspective.’
Clinical educator Mags Guest wrote an article for Nursing Standard in 2016 on how nurses can introduce themselves to patients that has some useful tips (see box, page 69).
She says: ‘What is great is that #hellomynameis became embedded in healthcare culture. I do see it used.
‘I’ve been on the receiving end myself when someone just walks into a room and starts talking over you clinically and it’s awful. I have a quite unwell child and there’s an approach in hospitals when parents are addressed as “Mum and Dad”. It’s a real bugbear of mine.’
Another campaign aims to address this issue. #CallMe, spearheaded by consultant anaesthetist Mike McCabe at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, is effectively the flip side of #hellomynameis, and involves staff asking patients their preferred form of address, and giving them, or family members a sticker where they can write it.
#Hellomynameis is, believes Ms Guest, important in balancing the relationship between clinician and patient.
‘The first-name approach breaks down some of the communication barriers and perhaps some of the hierarchies in healthcare,’ Ms Guest says. ‘Some roles come with a lot of power when you are talking about people’s lives. Breaking down the fear about people in those roles can help improve a patient and healthcare professional relationship.’
Former Labour health minister Ann Lloyd Keen, a registered nurse and RCN fellow, chairs the Patients’ Association. She says: ‘It is critical to communicate properly and to understand how the patient may or may not be feeling.’
She suggests introducing yourself to patients with first name, surname and job title, and asking their permission to call them by their first name.
‘Those first few minutes make all the difference, if you are greeted properly and professionally, you feel better about what is going to happen,’ she says.
Badges and lanyards, which can be ordered through the #Hellomynameis website can be customised according to the preference of the wearer.
Spinal Injuries Association campaigns manager Dave Bracher, pictured, who has a spinal cord injury, says: ‘This campaign is so beautiful because it is so simple.
‘I became paralysed from the waist down 15 years ago after having a cold that depressed my immune system and I contracted Guillain Barre syndrome. I was in hospital and medical settings for about a year and have been a regular visitor since or in contact with my GP and nurses.
‘The #hellomynameis campaign is such a simple way to get people to come almost off their pedestals and get down and meet people at eye level. It makes such a difference because it makes a connection on a person-to-person basis, rather than on a medic-to patient level.
‘Because I and others in my situation worry about going into medical settings, and sometimes have inconsistent care, being heard is important. Someone introducing themselves by using their name is a massive first step. It is a leveller and leads to an equal conversation. That’s why it matters so much.
‘The people who do it well are the people who sit down and say their name. If you are serious about person-centred care, you must get close to the person and chat, not stand above them, especially wheelchair users.’
Ms Guest believes the staffing crisis and high workloads nurses are facing can compromise communication.
She says: ‘Sometimes people forget the basics when workloads are so high, to form those initial relationships and say, “My name is”, and gain that trust. It saves a lot of time if that person engages with you.’
Professor Keen adds: ‘You can’t talk about the crisis in healthcare today without talking about good communication. It’s probably even more essential. The nursing profession is safety-critical and we are the guardians of safety for the patient and therefore [so is] our involvement with them from every level – can they talk to us, can they confide in us, can we explain and have a proper partnership?
Seven years on from her death at the age of 34, Dr Granger’s legacy is in evidence throughout the healthcare system in the UK and beyond.
Kath Evans, director of nursing (children) at Barts Health and clinical lead for babies, children and young people at North East London Integrated Care System, says: ‘All of us who knew Kate Granger and her story were inspired by her campaign and how it shows us what really matters.
‘We have embedded that, and we are committed to that legacy for our patients at Barts. Everyone including our chief executive wears a badge. We ensure our students hear about Kate from the start of their careers and about the enthusiasm she had.’
Dr Granger’s efforts inspired other campaigns: as well as #CallMe, there is #WhatMatterstome, which aims to act as a prompt for clinicians to ask patients person-centred questions and #OurVoiceOurCare from NHS London, which aims to put young people at the centre of their healthcare.
St Gemma’s Hospice in Leeds, where Dr Granger was cared for, commissioned a play, called Hello My Name Is, about Dr Granger and Mr Pointon’s story, in 2018.
It has been performed around the country, including at NHS ConfedExpo in Manchester in June, when Mr Pointon also spoke about the history of the campaign and the lasting impact it has had on the NHS and its staff.
Clinical educator and nurse Mags Guest’s tips on how to introduce yourself to patients:
» Ensure the environment is suitable for interaction with the patient. For example, use of a private room or drawing the curtains at the bedside might be appropriate
» Approach the patient and if applicable, the patient’s relatives
» Ensure your non-verbal communication is open and positive, to show you are ready to listen and engage with the patient
» Sit squarely to the person, and at a similar height, if possible. Lean slightly towards the patient and do not cross your arms or legs. Maintain reasonable eye contact and relax, to help the patient to feel at ease
» Ensure your verbal communication is appropriate, your tone of voice expresses interest, respect and empathy
» Consider your pace of speech – it should not be too fast or slow. Speak clearly, without jargon, and at suitable volume
» Begin by introducing yourself by name and briefly explaining your role, for example: ‘Hello, my name is Ben, and I will be your nurse for today’
» Ask the patient how they would like to be addressed, for example: ‘What may I call you? Would you prefer Mr Hemmings or Ben?’
» Ask the patient how they are feeling and if they have any concerns they would like to discuss with you
Proceeds from performances of the play, sales of name badges, and profits from Dr Granger’s books about the campaign, as well as other donations, have raised money for causes in Dr Granger’s memory: £85,000 for St Gemma’s Hospice and £432,000 for Leeds Hospitals Charity. The latter charity’s Joanne Parker says: ‘Kate worked for Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and was treated at our Yorkshire Cancer Centre. It was the first trust to introduce the campaign.
‘Part of induction training includes sharing Kate’s story and how it makes a difference. New staff are offered the option to buy a badge and donate to our charity. It’s not mandatory but most of the 22,000 clinical and non-clinical staff wear a badge. We also contributed £19,000 over the last two years to fund badges.
‘Whenever I meet staff, they say how inspiring it is to display their name and sometimes pronouns and who they are.’
For Mr Pointon, it is inspiring to see his wife’s legacy live on.
‘I am proud for Kate and all the ambassadors of the campaign, who use it as part of their daily routine – the people who look after us and our health at all levels in healthcare,’ he adds. ‘Thank you for keeping the legacy alive and making a difference through the use of those simple words.’
#hellomynameis… campaign hellomynameis.org.uk
Read nurse Mags Guest’s peer-reviewed article on how to introduce yourself to patients
