Kate Miriam Granger was an English geriatrician and campaigner for better patient care. In 2011 she was diagnosed with desmoplastic small-round-cell tumor, a type of sarcoma, and subsequently started the "#hellomynameis" campaign encouraging healthcare staff to introduce themselves to patients. Granger also raised over £250,000 for local cancer charity, the Yorkshire Cancer Centre Appeal.
Granger first became ill when on holiday in California in July 2011 with her husband Chris Pointon. She was treated in the Emergency Room in Santa Cruz when her kidneys failed. She returned to Leeds and was given further tests. When told the diagnosis, she knew that DSRCT that had metastasized had "an utterly dismal prognosis". She was treated with P6 protocol chemotherapy and endured painful treatments which she described in detail in her blog "The Other Side and the Bright Side". She described how the news that her condition was incurable was broken to her: After her diagnosis, Granger continued her medical training and qualified as a consultant geriatrician. During the latter stages of her illness, she was treated at St Gemma's Hospice, Leeds. She died on 23 July 2016, aged 34.
Campaigns
#hellomynameis
Granger started the #hellomynameis campaign in 2013, chiefly using Twitter, where by the time of her death, she had over 47,000 followers. The campaign name was the Twitter hashtag #hellomynameis. It was intended to encourage healthcare staff to introduce themselves to patients. On 31 August 2015, the second anniversary of the campaign, she recalled: , the campaign has been endorsed by more than 400,000 doctors, nurses, therapists, receptionists and porters across over 90 organisations, including NHS Trusts across England, NHS Scotland, NHS Wales and the NHS in Northern Ireland. She has spoken passionately at many health conferences and her campaign is supported by the former Prime Minister David Cameron, Nicola Sturgeon, Health SecretaryJeremy Hunt, many celebrities, and a significant number of leaders in health organisations in the UK and overseas.
Fundraising
Granger donated proceeds from the sales of her two books, and sponsored events such as a tandem skydiving jump, to cancer research. In total she raised over £250,000 for the Yorkshire Cancer Centre.
Awards and honours
In February 2014, NHS England created the Kate Granger Awards for Compassionate Care. These annual awards are in honour of Granger to "recognise an individual, team or organisation that has made a positive difference to patient care". In June 2014, Granger was elected as a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, the first doctor in training that the college had elected as a fellow, in recognition of her contribution to healthcare. Granger was made a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in the 2015 New Year Honours for services to the NHS and improving care. Her award was presented to her at Buckingham Palace by the Prince of Wales, in June 2015. Also in 2015, she was made an honorary Doctor of Science by London South Bank University. In 2016, Granger received a special achievement award from the BMJ, honouring her for her work on the "Hello, my name is" campaign.
