#hellomynameis: A compassionate care initiative for UL Hospitals
UL Hospitals Group has announced the introduction of the #hellomynameis campaign at University Hospital Limerick and University Maternity Hospital Limerick.
This is a compassionate care initiative founded by the British hospital consultant and terminally-ill cancer patient Dr Kate Granger. During a hospital stay in 2013, Kate observed that many staff did not introduce themselves. Kate also grew frustrated that fellow health professionals would refer to her as “Bed 7” or “the girl with that rare cancer”.
#hellomynameis is about more than simple introductions. It is all about making a human connection and establishing a relationship with patients on a firm foundation of mutual respect and trust.
#hellomynameis is a major international phenomenon on Twitter, with one billion Twitter impressions, and Kate’s campaign has been endorsed by David Cameron, Bob Geldof, Kylie Minogue, Drew Barrymore and Richard Branson among many, many more. It has been embedded in healthcare settings in the UK, in Australia, New Zealand and in the Middle East. And the campaign’s introduction in Ireland has seen the rise of a new hashtag - #diadhuitismise – which is being used by Kate and many others.
UL Hospitals Group is proud to be in the vanguard of this movement in Ireland and has joined Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital Crumlin and Wexford Hospital in introducing it at ground level. The aim of the campaign is to enhance compassionate care by reminding healthcare professionals to introduce themselves to patients in all healthcare interactions. And the main message is to promote high quality communication in order to treat patients with dignity and respect.
From Friday, March 11th the campaign is being rolled out in the Maternal and Child Health Directorate, in the Emergency Department at UHL and within the executive team. Staff working in maternity and paediatric services, in the ED and in the executive will be provided with new name badges as part of the campaign. These are the areas selected for an initial pilot scheme, with a view to implementing the campaign across all hospitals in due course.
Speaking ahead of her appearance before a gathering of senior health leaders in Dublin, Dr Kate Granger said she would be thrilled to see more healthcare staff in Ireland take on #hellomynameis as a campaign.
“I really believe that if we can start to get basics of communication, like introductions, right for every patient, every time, we have a real chance of improving both experience and safety in healthcare. It would be wonderful to see every healthcare organisation in Ireland supporting the campaign and really living by its values,” she said.
Noreen Spillane, Chief Operations Officer, UL Hospitals Group, said: “It was an enriching experience to meet a woman as inspirational as Kate Granger and I told her how excited we all were about the introduction of this initiative.”
“It may seem strange to some that we should need to launch this campaign in the first place. Sometimes during busy periods, staff may not have introduced themselves as they should. The #hellomynameis campaign is all about taking those few moments to make that human connection and to build trust. It provides patients with reassurance that they are speaking to a professional who is responsible and who is accountable. Most importantly, #hellomynameis is about establishing a platform for a relationship built on mutual respect,” Ms Spillane said.
See http://hellomynameis.org.uk/ or on Twitter #hellomynameis