A simple idea can turn into a powerful force for good when developed by the right person. We heard of a good example of this in April, when Chris Pointon came to the club to tell us of the tragic yet uplifting story of his wife Kate Granger, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer at the age of 29 with a prognosis of only 12 months.
Kate and Chris, who had been married for just six years, were determined to make the most of the time they had left together and drew up a bucket list. They renewed their wedding vows. Kate returned to her post as a junior doctor on a ward three weeks after coming out of hospital herself, and went on to become a consultant. As Chris told us, Her strength and balance was amazing. While going into hospital to be poisoned by chemo, she would spend her other time on the wards helping patients to get better.
She wrote and published a book, The Other Side, about her experiences as a doctor and a patient. She went on to publish a second book.
Finding herself back in hospital in August 2013 being treated for sepsis, Kate was struck by the fact that one day a hospital porter was the only staff member who gave her his name. All other medical professionals giving her treatment remained anonymous. It felt to her incredibly wrong that such a basic step in communication was missing. She complained to Chris about this that night, and he told her to ‘stop whinging and do something about it’. It was then that they decided to start a campaign, primarily using social media, to encourage and remind healthcare staff about the importance of introductions in healthcare.
Together they hit on the simple line ‘hello, my name is…’ with a smile built into a logo, to go onto name badges. Kate started the campaign with a tweet, which got a huge reaction in the first weeks. Some professionals commented that they hadn’t time to introduce themselves, but of course they did, and recognising that that little moment of human interaction helps build up trust and saves time in the end, Leeds Hospital Trust adopted the slogan and put it on the staff name tags. Kate then launched a website, https://www.hellomynameis.org.uk/ on which she observed
I firmly believe it is not just about common courtesy, but it runs much deeper. Introductions are about making a human connection between one human being who is suffering and vulnerable, and another human being who wishes to help. They begin therapeutic relationships and can instantly build trust in difficult circumstances.
The website had impact around the world, and Kate found herself being invited to make personal appearances at home and abroad, in which she was able to emphasise her core values of achieving the right level of communication, knowing that little things make a difference, seeing patients as individuals and putting them at the heart of all decisions taken in hospital.
In 2014 Kate was invited to a conference in Paris to present a campaign poster, where it was referred to by all the main speakers. She was later invited to meet the Queen at Buckingham Palace, awarded the MBE by Prince Charles, as he then was, and invited to meet the Prime Minister of the
day, who in endorsing the campaign had written Kate a personal letter beginning, ‘Hi Kate, my name is Theresa’. Mrs May went on to say how proud the country was of what she had achieved, and how proud she herself should be of her achievements.
By July of 2016 the campaign had received donations of £250,000, all of which was passed to Kate’s nominated charities Yorkshire Cancer Care and St Gemma’s Hospice.
It was on 23 July 2016, Chris and Kate’s 11th wedding anniversary, that Kate passed away peacefully at St Gemma’s hospice, surrounded by family and friends. Tributes from many of her 40,000 followers on social media poured in, recognising how much of an inspiration and legacy one individual had given back to the world.
Kate and Chis had faced Kate’s terminal illness with clear eyed courage, planning for Chris’s life after her death. In accordance with Kate’s wishes, Chris took a year’s career break in order to get ‘hello my name is’ around the world. Chris told us that during his unpaid leave of absence he has delivered 200 talks to over 10,000 people, visiting New Zealand and Australia three times, touring Europe and America. The campaign maintains its profile. 23 July is hello my name is day. In local hospitals and around the world there are now Kate Granger Awards for Compassionate Care.
Money raised for the two charities has now topped £540,000. This has been achieved by long distance walks, including the Great Wall of China, where Chris met our Rotarian Tim Capstick. Kate’s two books, and a touring play about Kate’s life, continue to bring in cash, with the biggest contribution made by NHS trusts who buy identity name badges with the hello my name is logo.
Chris’s audience was moved by the dignified way he was able to tell his emotionally charged story. We were pleased to hear that Chris has moved to a new and happy chapter in his life, remarrying and 18 months ago seeing his first child born. Chris knows that is what Kate wanted for him. Her legacy endures and the campaign goes on.
Follow us
A