More than 90 NHS organisations have signed up to Dr Kate Granger’s campaign to get NHS staff to introduce themselves properly to patients, the BBC reports this morning.
Dr Granger, who is terminally ill, set up the campaign with the Twitter hashtag #hellomynameis following her experiences in hospital after being diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cancer.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme she said: ‘The lack of introductions really made me feel like just a diseased body and not a real person.
‘When someone did introduce themselves it really did make a difference to how comfortable I was and less lonely I was in hospital.’
In other news, the BBC reports the Act Fast campaign to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of stroke has saved 4,000 people from long-term disabilities.
Public Health England said the campaign, which was launched in 2009, resulted in an extra 38,600 people reaching hospital within the optimal three-hour window for successful treatment.
It is now launching a similar campaign to heighten awareness of TIA or mini-strokes to prevent people going on to have a stroke.
Nikki Hill, from the Stroke Association, said: ‘Stroke is a medical emergency and getting the right treatment fast can save lives.
‘Through this latest campaign we hope as many people as possible know how to act Fast and help reduce the devastating impact a stroke can have.’
Lastly, the Daily Mail reports on research showing overweight mums are nearly five times as likely as mothers of normal weight to have children who are overweight.
Researchers at the University of Southampton found that women who displayed lifestyle risks before, during and shortly after pregnancy were 4.65 times more likely to have an overweight child – with 47% more fat mass – by the age of six, the paper says.
Co-author Professor Cyrus Cooper, director of the Medical Research Council lifecourse epidemiology unit at Southampton, said: ‘We are seeking to understand the role of the mother’s diet and lifestyle as influences on the development and body composition of her child.
‘The large differences in the risk of being overweight in childhood that were shown in this study highlight the importance of early life risk factors.’
