A TERMINALLY ill doctor has been visiting health centres to explain to staff the benefits of showing greater care to patients.

Dr Kate Granger was moved to make a stand on the compassion shown by health workers after she was treated for cancer and found that some hospital staff didn't always introduce themselves.

She initially began a social media campaign using a tweet beginning, #Hello My Name Is…. and has now taken to the road to meet more health professionals in person, around the country.

She visited NHS East Lancashire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) in Nelson, and was pleased that staff promised to support her campaign.

Dr Granger spoke of her experiences in hospital which left her feeling disappointed.

She said: “It felt very wrong, so encouraged and supported by my husband we decided to start a campaign to encourage and remind healthcare staff about the importance of introductions in the delivery of care.

"I firmly believe it is not just about knowing someone's name, but it runs much deeper.

"It is about making a human connection, beginning a therapeutic relationship and building trust. In my mind it is the first rung on the ladder to providing compassionate care.”

Dr Granger is a consultant for elderly care in Yorkshire. Her visit to East Lancashire CCG for her 'Putting Passion into Compassion' event was part of a wider 'Compassion in Practice' week run by the organisation.

She met around 150 healthcare professionals including doctors, nurses, pharmacists, paramedics, and other staff and volunteers.

Jackie Hanson, director of quality and chief nurse at East Lancashire CCG, said: “We are incredibly proud that Dr Granger chose to visit us and share her remarkable, and very moving, journey of life as a terminally ill patient.

"We launched our support for the #Hello My Name Is… earlier this year, and I think this further shows our commitment to delivering high quality, personalised care. We work hard to continuously improve the experiences of the patients in our care.”

She added: “A main focus of our Compassion in Practice week is training staff to become compassion champions. We developed the idea of local compassion champions so we can support and sustain high quality compassionate care in all of the health provider organisations we commission.”