When a small, central communications team within NHS England needed help promoting the national ‘new care models’ initiative, we worked with 50 separate ‘vanguard’ teams across the country to develop a range of communication materials.
One of the initiative’s main aims was for the vanguards to share best practice with each other, with other organisations and with the public.
Thank you for all your help over the last year or so. I know it wasn’t always easy, but your support has been appreciated.
Antony Tiernan, Director of Engagement and Communications, NHS England (at time of assignment)
Working in partnership with comms leads
Working with communications leads across the country, we put together profiles and two case studies for each vanguard, outlining the new services and new ways of working that they were launching. This was an extensive piece of work, involving interviewing clinicians, managers and patients and writing up communications to a tight brief.
We also supported the development of various operational materials including an engagement strategy, exhibition displays, and frameworks for delivering new car models to be shared across the vanguards.
As well as the 100 case studies, we developed a number of opinion and update blogs for leaders from within both the national programme team and the vanguards at key points such as the programme’s first anniversary, and wrote comment pieces for conference brochures.
These were then used in a number of ways to promote the programme and share learning, including in a dedicated section on the NHS England website and a programme brochure. They also provided a useful resource for the media looking for a relevant case studies related to new NHS developments.
Key to the success of this project was managing all the different elements that needed to be delivered within a set timescale, with a coherent style and message and a shared professional voice, and linking in with 50 different teams around the country to achieve a consistent result.
For more information about NHS England, go to england.nhs.uk.