Colin Ovington, Chief Nurse at Sandwell & West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust is calling on all staff at the Trust to pledge to tell patients their names in support of the national “Hello my name is….” campaign.
The campaign was launched by Dr Kate Granger, an registrar from Yorkshire , who became frustrated with the number of staff who failed to introduce themselves to her when she was an inpatient with post-operative sepsis.
Dr Granger, 31, has terminal cancer but has made it her mission to get as many members of NHS staff pledging to introduce themselves in future to their patients. The campaign has already been endorsed by several senior nurses at NHS England, including chief nursing officer Jane Cummings and Head of Commissioning (nursing) Michelle Mello, as well as Department of Health Director of Nursing, Viv Bennett.
Staff at Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust are proud of the way they deliver safe, compassionate care and have been supporters of this campaign for some months. As other Trusts join in, they are re-launching the campaign to staff to reinforce the importance of telling patients who they are, so that patients can feel more at ease and confident as they receive care.
Speaking about the campaign, Colin said, “The ‘hello my name is…’ campaign has helped staff at Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust remember how important it is for each patient to know they are cared for as individuals. I believe every single member of staff has a part to play, whether working in clinical care or coming into contact with patients and visitors as they walk around our hospital sites. We are fully behind the campaign and will continue to encourage our staff to introduce themselves whenever and wherever they meet with patients and their loved ones.”
To find about more about the #hellomynameis campaign please visit Dr Granger’s blog at:http://drkategranger.wordpress.com/