Page 3 Profile: Dr Kate Granger, hospital consultant

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The name’s Granger, Kate Granger…

A terminally ill doctor who launched a campaign encouraging health workers to introduce themselves to patients has won the backing of 90 NHS organisations. Dr Kate Granger began her “Hello, my name is…” campaign shortly after she was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cancer three years ago in a bid to improve the experiences of patients in hospitals.

What’s in a name?

Plenty, according to Dr Granger. The 31-year-old consultant said that during her treatment she felt frustrated when staff failed to introduce themselves. “This felt very wrong,” Dr Granger explained on her blog. “The lack of introductions really made me feel like just a diseased body, not a person. When somebody did introduce themselves it just made a massive difference to how I felt,” she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

Simple but effective…

“There is evidence out there that it actually improves patient outcomes, that if you have a good relationship with your healthcare staff you are more likely to trust them, you are more likely to share intimate information,” said Dr Granger, who is originally from Huddersfield and lives in Wakefield.

And it won’t cost the NHS a thing…

The campaigner, who received an MBE in the New Year Honours for services to the NHS, has gained the support of some 400,000 doctors, nurses, therapists, receptionists and porters across about 90 organisations. She has been championed by both David Cameron and Ed Miliband. And Jeremy Hunt, the Health Secretary, said: “This is an inspiring campaign. All patients should be treated with compassion and the fact this movement has started from within the NHS itself makes it all the more powerful.”

How does the future look?

“Unfortunately I’m not going to get better, I have a rocky road ahead of me,” said Dr Granger, who continues to work at the Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust as an acting consultant in geriatric medicine. “I really hope my legacy will be putting compassionate practice right at the heart of healthcare delivery every single day.”