Celebrations are underway to mark the 70th birthday of the NHS in Cumbria.

This week saw the launch of a packed programme, building up to the anniversary on July 5.

It was kicked off by inspirational NHS campaigner Chris Pointon, who visited the county this week.

He and his late wife Kate Granger, an NHS doctor who was diagnosed with terminal cancer, started the high-profile #hellomynameis campaign that has now gone global.

After a bad experience in hospital, when she noticed that medical staff did not introduce themselves when they came into a room, they decided to start a campaign for better patient care.

Using social media, the message soon spread and an awards scheme was launched to recognise the many NHS staff who do go that extra mile to connect with the person behind an illness.

Kate died in 2016, but Chris is continuing to spread their message, touring hospitals across the UK and beyond.

This week he spent time with healthcare staff across north and west Cumbria to launch the 70th birthday celebrations.

While here he met two local staff who had previously been shortlisted for a Kate Granger award, including one winner.

Lydia Jackson, a community healthcare assistant, works in the district nursing team covering the Penrith area.

She was nominated for the award by her team leader Linda Graham in 2015 and went on to win it.

Linda explained why she felt she deserved it. "It was for her outstanding, compassionate care with a particular end of life patient.

"She had a very special relationship with this patient. It's hard looking after end of life patients because that relationship does come to an end. You just hope you do a good job, and Lydia undoubtedly made a real difference to that gentleman," she said.

Lydia said she felt "privileged" to look after patients in their final days. "You become part of the family for a while," she said.

The 27-year-old had to miss the awards ceremony as she was away on holiday, though she watched it on the internet with her family and spoke to Kate on the phone after her name was announced.

However she never got to meet Kate in person, so seeing Chris at Penrith Hospital was quite a special moment.

She said: “It was really emotional to meet Chris and talk about the legacy that Kate has left behind.

"It was an honour to win the award and be recognised for the work I do.

"I was lucky enough to talk to Kate before she died and I think she would be really impressed to see the impact that #hellomynameis continues to have."

He also met Carlisle speech and language therapist Sarah Linnard, who made it onto the shortlist of three Kate Granger Awards finalists, and west Cumbrian scholarship winner Rachel Tang.

As well as visiting the West Cumberland Hospital and Penrith Hospital, he also spent time with community health staff.

Her then travelled to Carlisle to launch an NHS 70th anniversary fun run, organised by the city's DH Runners group.

More than 100 people attended, including many NHS staff, with also Chris taking part in the evening run.

An anniversary parkrun is also being organised for later in the year.

Chris said: “There’s always a lot said in politics and the media about the NHS but it’s important to pause and remember how far the NHS has come, the positive impact it has had on our lives and the remarkable work of staff.

"We all have a part to play in looking after our own health by being more active and the parkrun seems like a perfect gift to the NHS in its 70th year."

Chris added: "I visited Cumbria in 2015 with Kate as part of our UK tour and it's been good to come back. "

He said that he still can't quite believe the reach the #hellomynameis campaign has had, having recently visited Australia to talk about it. He said it is a real legacy for his late wife.

"It started as a conversation between Kate and I in hospital. It was a porter called Brian that made us think about it. He was the only one that introduced himself by name. That started it.

"We decided to use social media and it's grown massively. It has 1.8 billion Twitter impressions. I feel immensely proud of how its grown and how much NHS staff have really embraced it.

"The best thing is that it's making a difference to patients and staff.

"Everyone is working collectively, from chief executives to those on the wards. There is no hierarchy. Everyone is equally important."

He said that despite facing huge pressures, the NHS is a fantastic institution and staff are dedicated to their patients.

Clare Parker, director of nursing at the Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, said it was fantastic to have Chris visiting the area and promoting the #hellomynameis campaign.

"It's absolutely brilliant that Chris has come to Cumbria to launch the NHS 70 campaign and speak about the campaign.

"It's a fantastic campaign and we will continue to embrace it going forward," she said.


NHS birthday celebrations - what's happening in Cumbria?

North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust, NHS North Cumbria Clinical Commissioning Group and Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust are teaming up to plan the celebrations.

Plans so far include:

  • Patient stories: Publishing photographs and stories of patients aged one to 70, one for every year of the NHS.
  • Looking back: Using Cumbria County Council’s archive centre to plan a series of exhibitions on the history of the NHS locally.
  • Showcasing services: Teaming up with local Unison members to showcase good work in Carlisle city centre
  • Celebratory tea parties: A network of tea parties for staff who have previously won staff recognition awards.
  • NHS Park Run: Members of the Carlisle Park Run are planning to hold a dedicated NHS 70 Park Run in the city.

How you can get involved

Are you between the ages of 1-70 and have a great story to tell about how your life has been touched by the NHS?

The local NHS wants to hear from staff members, volunteers and patients who want to share their stories.

Officials also want to hear from those over the age of 70 to share their early memories of the NHS.

Local businesses or community groups that want show support can also hold events, create window displays or come up with their own ideas.

To get in touch email communication.helpdesk@cumbria.nhs.uk or call 01228 603890.