Hampshire medical staff 'Hello, My Name Is...' campaign

The Hello My Name Is... campaign was launched by Dr Kate Granger, a terminally-ill cancer patient from Yorkshire who was left frustrated by staff who did not tell her their names.

Now, medical staff in Hampshire are throwing their weight behind the bid to encourage doctors, nurses and consultants to introduce themselves to patients.

Dr Granger, 31, said she was moved to start the campaign when the doctor who told her that her cancer had spread did not even introduce himself or look her in the eye.

She said that the lack of introductions made her feel “like a diseased body and not a real person”, but when staff did introduce themselves “it really did make a difference to how comfortable I was and less lonely I was in hospital”.

Prime Minister David Cameron, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt and musician and campaigner Bob Geldof have all supported her campaign, while it has generated a storm on social media, with people taking to Twitter with the #hellomynameis message.

And now staff at hospitals and health organisations in Hampshire are putting their names on cards to show the importance a simple introduction to patients can have.

Dr Steve Townsend (pictured above) , local GP and Clinical Chair of NHS Southampton City CCG said: “We are fully behind the campaign and the inspirational work of Kate Granger.

"It is great that the campaign, which started on social media, has now gone viral and is being supported by so many organisations across the NHS.

“The idea behind Kate’s campaign seems simple but an introduction is the first step to putting the patient first and helping them to feel at ease in a healthcare setting.

“This doesn’t just apply to frontline staff and it is great to see this campaign is being taken up across the NHS.

"Here at the CCG we do a lot of work with the local community and will be encouraging all our staff to take time to introduce themselves when they are talking to local people.”