Celebration event held today at Leeds Cancer Centre to mark International ‘Hello My Name Is’ Day

A celebration event has been held today at Leeds Cancer Centre to mark international 'Hello My Name Is' Day - a campaign launched by the late Kate Granger.
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Kate was a doctor working in elderly medicine at Leeds Teaching Hospitals who sadly passed away on the 23rd of July 2016 following a brave five year cancer journey.

Three years on, the event marked an incredible £420,000 rising total raised by the campaign.

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Treatment at the hospital where she worked gave Kate a new perspective on the NHS and she launched the ‘Hello My Name Is’ campaign which focused on compassionate care and improving the patient experience.

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NHS organisations up and down the country have since embraced the campaign and the principles behind it - encouraging staff to ensure they introduce themselves to their patients.

The most recognisable signs of the campaign are the white & green name badges now worn by thousands of healthcare staff, both in the UK and overseas.

Since the campaign was launched, £420,000 has been raised for two charities close to Kate’s heart; Leeds Cares (supporting the Leeds Cancer Centre) and St Gemma’s Hospice, where Kate was given incredible care at the end of her life.

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The money was raised through merchandise sales, charity events and donations to the campaign.

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Chris Pointon, Kate’s husband, attended the event with Chief Executive of Leeds Teaching Hospitals Julian Hartley.

Chris said: “The ongoing support for the campaign across Leeds Teaching Hospitals is incredible and I truly feel proud of both the campaign’s affiliation with the trust and more so how they keep Kate’s legacy alive. Kate loved her time working at the trust and made many friends through working with amazing people.

“Throughout Kate’s illness she was cared for so amazingly well at the hospital and spent her last few weeks being brilliantly looked after by the fantastic staff at St Gemma’s Hospice before dying comfortably 3 years ago today surrounded by loved ones on our wedding anniversary.

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“The campaign and Kate’s legacy is now recognised in over 20 countries across the world and continues to make a difference to people every day through the simple art of introducing ourselves.

"I would like to thank everyone associated with the campaign for keeping it going and helping us to surpass £420,000 for good causes locally.”

Leeds Cares plans to develop a ‘dragon’s den’ style event with Cancer Centre staff and patients to put forward their own ideas of how the fundraising will be best used.

Staff working across Leeds Teaching Hospitals were also invited to attend the event to learn more about Kate’s life, the Hello My Name Is campaign, and re-pledge their support to its principles.

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Julian Hartley, Chief Executive at Leeds Teaching Hospitals said: “Each week, when I welcome our new starters to the organisation, the first thing I do is introduce the #hellomynameis initiative, tell them about Kate, the difference she has made and what it means for our relationship with patients.

I am very proud that since we adopted the principles of Kate’s campaign in 2014, thousands of staff members have signed their pledge. It was great to see so many people attending the event today to remember Kate and celebrate her fantastic campaign which started here in Leeds.”

Kerry Jackson, Chief Executive of St Gemma’s Hospice said: “The team at St Gemma’s was privileged to care for Dr Kate Granger in her final weeks. She was a positive, funny, kind and inspiring person and we shared the same professional goals – a commitment to good communication, compassion and patient-centred care.

We are so grateful to her husband, Chris for his ongoing support of St Gemma’s Hospice. Every penny raised makes a real difference to local people and their families at a difficult time in their lives.”