Hello my name is… Chris Pointon visits St George’s
Chris Pointon, co-founder of the international #hellomynameis campaign, gave a talk to staff on Monday as part of Dying Matters Awareness Week.
Chris (pictured with our Chief Executive Jacqueline Totterdell) spoke about the conception of the #hellomynameis campaign, and how it has begun to revolutionise patient care across the world.
Chris’s partner, Dr Kate Granger, sadly passed away in 2016, after a long battle with cancer. During her treatment, being a patient rather than a doctor, Kate was struck by how impersonal some of her interactions with staff were.
At the time, she said: “I made the stark observation that many staff looking after me did not introduce themselves before delivering my care. It felt incredibly wrong that such a basic step in communication was missing.”
Kate felt that a simple introduction could make all the difference after experiencing a heart-warming interaction with a porter. The campaign for more compassionate care was born, and is now a world-wide success.
They came up with four values to promote a better patient experience:
- ‘Timely and effective communication’. This can start with a simple introduction
- ‘The little things’. This includes treating the patient with consideration, for example sitting at eye level
- ‘Patient at the heart of all decisions’. Consult patients about their care
- ‘See me’. See the person before the disease.
During his inspiring and impactful speech at St George’s, Chris said: “The campaign is a conversation starter, a simple communication tool which takes no time, effort, and costs nothing, but can make a huge difference.
“Kate wanted to make a difference to the NHS and to the world. And I feel like even if one patient feels better from this, we have made an impact. We shouldn’t apologise for being human: you’re not ‘just’ anything.”
For more information, resources or news on the campaign, visit www.hellomynameis.org.uk/
