Communications and Engagement Strategy. Claire Riley, Director of Communications from Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Transcription

1 Report to Trust Board of Directors Date of Meeting: 25 March 2014 Enclosure Number: 14 Title of Report: Author: Executive Lead: Responsible Sub- Committee (if appropriate): Executive Summary: Board Assurance Framework Reference: Risk Rating (high, medium, low risk) and any recommended changes to risk rating: Compliance, legal and national policy regulatory requirements: Financial Implications: Communications and Engagement Strategy Claire Riley, Director of Communications from Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Claire Riley, Director of Communications from Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust n/a This report sets the ambition for communications and engagement for the future. It clarifies the expectations from the TDA and introduces KPIs for the future Medium risk CQC outcomes National policy expectations To be clarified 1

2 Actions required by the Board: To approve: To note: For information: Discussion and decision Where the Board is made aware of key points but no decision required For reading and consideration and for discussion by exception only The Board is requested to: 1. Note the contents of this report 2. Approve the vision/ambition 3. Approve the KPIs 4. Note the ongoing conversations regarding long term resource 5. Note the planned activity in the coming weeks and months Data quality: Source: Claire Riley from Northumbria Healthcare NHS Validated by: Date: 20/3/14 Foundation Trust n/a 2

3 Communications and Engagement Strategy

4 By Claire Riley Director of communications and corporate affairs March 2014 Executive summary How could any organisation function without explaining to staff what is expected from them and their role within the organisation, or without explaining to customers, patients or the public the services that are offered? With this in mind, It is recognised that the role of communications and engagement is essential to the effective functioning of any organisation, no matter what its role or function is. It is always the case that dialogue is more effective than monologue in engaging people, as good communication should always be two-way. Despite these obvious truths, organisations across all sectors constantly find it difficult to be good at communicating with their various audiences. In part, this is because the communication landscape is more complex than ever before. We have a myriad of different channels at our disposal; audiences are more selective in how they use these channels and it is almost impossible to quantify the number of messages that compete for the attention of those audiences. The NHS has, for some time, recognised the benefits of ensuring communication are delivered by professionals, within a supportive environment, which is represented at board level. This positioning not only ensures the function of communications is fully integrated within the organisation - not an add on or nice to have - but also ensures it is fully up to date with activity and part of the decision making process. This document is designed to share the ambition for communications and engagement for North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust and align the activity that is, or will need to be, delivered to the organisations overall vision, values and objectives. This also provides a blueprint for the future and covers the following: the ambition for the communications and engagement function 4

5 the principles in which the directorate will operate an understanding of the risks and challenges linked with acquisition the key components of success and how this will be delivered. This document covers the corporate function of communications and engagement for North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust and, it is important to note that within Northumbria Healthcare the function includes a far broader remit that just communications, marketing and engagement. It is also important to note that the principles included in this document are pertinent throughout the pre, during and post-acquisition process. In addition, metrics developed to measure what success looks like are transferable regardless of when acquisition takes place and how this occurs. For helpful context it will be important to recognise that the Trust does not employ or have anyone responsible to engage proactively with the public. This is reflected within the ambition detailed within this document. In addition, as a result of Francis II, the TDA requirements and the expectation set by regulators organisations have to ensure they have mechanisms in place to both engage and communicate widely with stakeholders. Again this document reflects this. Where do we need to be? Key components for success The impact that the function of communications can have on any organisation is vast. In private sector it will tend to be measured by brand equity, sales, satisfaction with services and share price; in public sector it tends to focus on overall organisational reputation, awareness of services and activity at a local level. The evidence that communication makes a vital contribution to an organisation applies to public services as well as to business. Over the years, the survey research organisation Ipsos MORI has developed a substantial amount of data related to the overall performance of local public services and their communication effectiveness. Within the NHS, it found that better performing trusts committed more resources to communication, were more likely to have marketing strategies in place, and had communication teams that were more 5

6 influential. It also found that staff, in trusts rated as excellent, were significantly more likely to understand their roles than those in weak performing ones. Ipsos MORI also looked at the communication effectiveness of 29 London local authorities, including seven that were rated as excellent by the Audit Commission for 2003/4. It found that all seven excellent councils were also among the top 11 councils rated by the public as being the best at keeping them informed. Good communication is also important for engaging with staff. The Cabinet Office carried out a review of the evidence base for employee engagement during 2007, as part of its work on improving engagement with civil servants across all government departments. It showed that engaged staff are 43 per cent more productive, perform up to 20 per cent more effectively and take an average of 3.5 fewer sick days a year than disengaged staff. So, good communication that engages staff, customers, patients, the public and stakeholders is vital to organisational success. Leeds Metropolitan University was commissioned in 2008 by the Department of Health to summarise the attributes of organisations that are good at communicating and engaging. To start with, it produced a review of literature around effective communication. It tested the conclusions from this work with a range of leading communication academics and practitioners from the UK, USA, Australia and Sweden. The work was further tested with a reference group of NHS communicators and with a selection of chief executives within the NHS. Based on this work, the university produced a paper that summarised the evidence base What good looks like: An evidence base (2009), Centre for Public Relations Studies, Leeds Business School, Leeds Metropolitan University. This describes the distinguishing features of organisations that communicate effectively. Such organisations have the following four attributes: an excellent understanding of the brand excellence in planning, managing and evaluating communication 6

7 leadership support for communication communication as a core competency. These organisations apply the above four attributes across the following four perspectives: societal how the NHS is perceived as a whole at national and local levels corporate how communication operates within each organisation at the level of strategy setting service user and stakeholder an understanding of how patients and the public experience the NHS locally functional the way in which communication strategies and programmes are put into operation. Source: Leeds Met 2008 The following table was produced by Leeds Met as a simple framework for describing organisations with world-class communications. By mapping the four attributes detailed above against the four perspectives, again as detailed above they have produced an academic framework for what good looks like within the function. Perspectives Attributes Societal perspective Corporate perspective Service user/stakeholder perspective Functional perspective Excellent understanding of the brand The purpose, principles and values, set out in the NHS The corporate strategy and brand are aligned. The board understands the The brand is experienced through services and by engagement with The communications function understands the brand, effectively Constitution, are embodied in the NHS, supported by value of relational and reputational capital stakeholders promotes and defends it and anticipates threats and risks to it the public and define the national brand. The local brand is aligned to the national brand Excellence in planning, managing and evaluating communication Communication plans and strategies take full account of the brand and follow best practice Communication priorities and strategies inform, and are aligned to, the corporate strategy Effective processes are in place to listen to service users and stakeholders, and to engage them in dialogue and action There is effective implementation of programmes of action which promote services and the organisation, and respond to user and 7

8 stakeholder needs Leadership support for communication Leaders understand the brand and model it in their behaviour The role of communication is understood and supported by the organisation s leaders in the Leadership action is informed by customer and stakeholder insight The communications function has direct access to the leadership formulation of corporate strategy and in resource decisions Communication as a core competency The wider organisation The communication perspective is embedded in Appropriate communication skills exist The communications function is appropriately understands the brand and models it in its behaviour the way that the management role is undertaken among staff involved in delivering services and stakeholder engagement located in the organisation with professionally competent staff in post They believe that those organisations that successfully apply the four attributes across the four perspectives will tend to see the following benefits: improved trust, legitimacy and reputation with the local community informed business decisions, better equipped senior managers and good stakeholder networks services that uphold the brand, are informed by the needs of its users and are supported by engaged stakeholders A communications department that performs an effective and functional role in a focused and informed organisation. North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust need to reflect on this and redesign its communications and engagement activity around the principles articulated within the Leeds Met work. However, whilst we believe the Leeds Met work is a tried and tested model of success for communications, it is very PR/media driven and this only represents one dimension of the work that the communications and engagement team will need to deliver. For example, this does not represent the market in which NHS trusts operate within and how communications need to support an integrated approach. So in addition to the principles set out by Leeds Met, and in line with Northumbria Healthcare, we will adopt a more integrated approach (see below) to deliver communications that is more appropriate within the current context for the NHS. 8

9 Integrated model This model represents the interdependencies the roles marketing, communications and engagement have on each other which will ensure organisations maximise the connectivity to the local community and develop relationships to support openness and transparency. Separation of each of the functions would lead to a disjointed, inefficient and ineffective approach. It shows how the function can use insight from a mass market position to develop 1:1 relationships whilst supporting positive brand positioning. Impact new technology has had on the function New technology has and will continue to have a transformational impact on the way we communicate and engage as an organisation. For example, media planning has become increasingly difficult in recent years with the emergence of social media and social journalism. Through mediums such as twitter, facebook and blog sites everyone has the ability to be a social journalist at any point in time and people are exercising this right increasingly. Traditional journalists are also using this information to feed traditional print media. 9

10 There has been an explosion of the ways in which consumers are contacted both digitally and through conventional media such as print, radio and television. Convergence of media creates new problems and opportunities for brands and this is something North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust must consider and manage for the future. The ambition and expectations Objectives and key performance indicators The following articulate the objectives priorities for the organisation as a whole. All communications and engagement activity need to support the Trusts ambitions as detailed above. In addition to this there are expectations set by the Trust Development Authority to ensure communications and engagement activity, within organisations, are fit for purpose. They are as follows: 10

11 The expectations TDA Body Expectation Evidence Required 1. Every healthy NHS Trust Engagement of patients Board to have a planned Engagement of stakeholders strategy on all levels of Engagement of communities engagement that they Engagement of public should risk rate and update Board papers confirming on a regular basis. above Campaigning material to support above 2. Every NHS Trust Board Comprehensive programme to have a detailed of patient experience, the programme of measuring findings of which are tracked patient and staff and published at a ward level satisfaction, in addition to Perception research to the national survey and can understand general demonstrate improvements. satisfaction with services Staff experience tracking, in addition to the national staff survey Demonstration of improvement 3. Every NHS Trust Board Communications material must have in place; Log of feedback and mechanisms which actions demonstrates they are listening to staff and patients, out with any national research programmes. 11

12 4. Every NHS Trust Board to demonstrate strong stakeholder relationships and partnership working to ensure local community involvement. 5. Every NHS Trust Board to have a comprehensive rolling programme of communications and engagement to support above and a detailed way of measuring effectiveness of activity. 6. Every NHS Trust Board to demonstrate their knowledge of communications and engagement risks and crisis communications management. Internal communications Media strategy Stakeholders plan Membership Strategy Communications and engagement strategy Number of people engaged Risk register Crisis Comms plan Using the above objectives as a guide and the expectations set out by the TDA, the following assurance framework provides the Board with our performance to date and the planned work we will focus on in the coming months. This includes key performance indicators (KPIs) which have been collated that represents the measure of success for the directorate as a whole covering pre, during and post-acquisition. The KPIs are overarching and not representative of individual or bespoke pieces of work requested by business units in an adhoc manner. Please note, that individual bespoke strategies will have their own KPIs for example Internal communications, Recruitment, Delivering quality together etc., 12

13 Requirement Progress to date/activity Date to be finalised 1. Every healthy Engagement plan End of May 2014 NHS Trust Board to prepared and have a planned agreed to support strategy on all membership activity levels of linked to acquisition engagement that Further work they should risk rate required finalising a and update on a rolling program of regular basis. public and patient engagement including attendances at OSC and stakeholder work etc., Alliance/program board engagement to be finalised and will be working in partnership across the health economy to support this. Need to plan in a cycle of updates for the board on a 6 monthly basis 2. Every NHS Trust The Trust Board to have a commissions public detailed programme and stakeholder Rag rating 13

14 of measuring patient and staff satisfaction, in addition to the national survey and can demonstrate improvements. 3. Every NHS Trust Board must have in place; mechanisms perception research every 6 months and the results are fed back to board and are showing improvements The Trust has a comprehensive Patient Experience program with results fed to wards and the board on a regular basis this is also showing improvement The Trust has, in addition to the national staff survey, undertaken regular staff surveys (survey monkey) and now is planning to introduce the a comprehensive program to measure staff experience. The national survey suggests improvements in some areas. As detailed above In addition a campaign called We re Listening will be introduced in May

15 which demonstrates they are listening to staff and patients, out with any national research programmes. 4. Every NHS Trust Board to demonstrate strong stakeholder relationships and partnership working to ensure local community involvement. We re Listening will be introduced to support the collation of feedback from all stakeholders with findings on a regular basis fed to the Board and Executive Team. The Trust are working in partnership across the health economy and this will continue over the years Plans are in development to engage the local community better in health decisions and to feedback on the performance of the Trust Further work is required on the opportunity partnership working will bring and how this will help the Trust connect better to the local community. A CSR strategy to be developed and presented to Board by the end of July 2014 Open publication of ward information to support openness and transparency 15

16 5. Every NHS Trust Board to have a comprehensive rolling programme of communications and engagement to support above and a detailed way of Corporate and Social Responsibility Approach will help the Trust develop a different relationship with partners in and outside of Health and enable better involvement across local communities Openness and transparency has been one of the largest historical (previous regimes) criticism of the Trust and we must develop better working relationships with local politicians, the media and other key stakeholders Communications mechanisms for internal and external activity developed and being delivered (please note that they also mirror 16

17 measuring effectiveness of activity. 6. Every NHS Trust Board to demonstrate their knowledge of communications and engagement risks and crisis communications management. Northumbrias activity Rolling program of engagement externally in development Internal engagement on going and supports a wider internal communications strategy which mirrors Northumbria Metrics developed and included within this document Risk register presented to Board on a regular basis which includes a forward plan of risks On going Proposed Future KPIs Implement a cycle of We re Listening which connects with stakeholders on areas of improvement out with that which is already done as part of the patient experience programme. Maintain or exceed overall satisfaction with North Cumbria Hospitals NHS Trust by ten per cent in three years: 17

18 o North Cumbria is currently 70 per cent (2013) Maintain or exceed a 55 per cent positivity (including neutral) rating for media activity. Decrease the amount of negative media coverage to a level below five per cent. Increase the volume of media coverage by ten per cent. Increase the amount of AVE by ten per cent. Increase number of social media followers by 15 per cent. Prepare a forward plan which ensures quarterly engagement with local healthwatch, health and wellbeing boards, overview and scrutiny committees and town councils. 100 per cent compliance with section 242/242a and 244 of the Health and Social Care Act. Plan in a regular cycle of engagement activities to support the connectivity to the communities we serve. Deliver the we re listening campaign every six months with feedback shared with the organisation and action shared with stakeholders. Increase the membership by five per cent. Hold regular members events to engage members across the communities we serve. Achieve 80 per cent satisfaction levels for internal communications within three years. Increase website hits per month by five per cent. Increase overall volunteering within the trust by ten per cent in three year Please note that unless stated these objectives are within year. How will we achieve this? It is important to recognise that an overarching communications and engagement strategy for North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust must set the ambition, the objectives and the key components to be delivered. This will not go into detail on every piece of work delivered by the team. Each of these areas would require its own dedicated strategy to ensure it is developed in line with an integrated approach rather than that of a one size fits all approach. 18

19 We must continue to build capability to ensure we keep up with new and more effective ways to communicate and engage. However, there are some key components that can be put in place to ensure the organisation has the right mechanisms and skills mix to be successful and this has been articulated below. Reflecting on the Leeds Met work, an integrated approach and the above objectives and KPIs, the following tactical wheel has been developed which illustrates the key areas of responsibility when, if successfully delivered, will not only deliver against the organisational objectives but will more importantly support the values of the organisation alongside connecting the organisation to the community it serves. Please note that some of the functions in North Cumbria are yet to be aligned to the communications department and this will require further discussion and coordination in areas such as the charity and volunteering, however, this positions the ambition for the future. 19

20 This wheel clearly represents the key components of the work that will be delivered. Split into four keys areas each component or sub-component will have its own strategy or working plan to take forward. For example, internal communications has a strategy in its own right. Within external communications there is a dedicated stakeholder communications strategy and likewise an overarching research and branding strategy that is all inter-related and distinct pieces of work in their own right that all work together to achieve the overall objectives of the organisation. 20

21 In addition to this, there are overarching organisational activities that require their own individual strategies and KPIs linked to specific project areas. Campaigns such as We re Listening, Recruitment and Delivering Quality Together have individually created bespoke plans. Areas of importance such as engagement, GP communications and membership also have their own individual plans and measurement for success. It is important to note that the current resource position, regarding the delivery and achievement of this vision, needs to be confirmed and considered for the future. In the interim, and as a result of the buddy arrangements, the Northumbria Healthcare team are supporting the North Cumbria team. However, it is important that the future longer-term arrangements are considered as the organisations moves through the acquisition process. Reflecting on the teams current capacity clearly we need to plan and prioritise activity where we can. There is however opportunities for joint working across the health economy. Measurement There is a range of measurement tools available to the organisation to measure the effectiveness of the directorate and each individual plans have their own measure of success. In addition to this a comprehensive media analysis is used to understand the impact, month on month. This alongside a six monthly public perception tracking programme, which is in place to understand satisfaction levels with the trust and the effectiveness of communication provides a wealth of knowledge to understand how or if the communications directorate has had a positive impact and delivered in accordance with the KPIs detailed within this document. 21

22 Managing risks A comprehensive risk register is collated monthly and is designed to produce a forward looking of up and coming risks associated to any areas of the organisations. This risk register is used to flex the resource, as appropriate, depending on the issue or issues arising. Action is taken, where possible, to mitigate those risks. Conclusion The communications and engagement directorate can deliver against a broad portfolio as long as it is connected fully into the organisation. The requirements and expectations set out by the TDA, the NHS regulators and as detailed in Francis 2 clearly demonstrate the need for a coordinated and integrated approach to communications and engagement. Using an integrated model will help the organisation connect to the local communities in a way that it supports a more open and transparent relationship with all stakeholders. But, this will take time, and will not happen overnight. The team have already made significant inroads in internal communications and in support patient experience share the excellent patient experience results. Work planned over the coming months will see the launch of a recruitment campaign, listening events and delivering quality together campaign, all of which demonstrates how the function can support the core business of the organisation and its cultural development through the introduction of the board to ward project. This work needs to be built upon in line with this ambition. 22

23 Recommendations: The Board is requested to: 6. Note the contents of this report 7. Approve the vision/ambition 8. Approve the KPIs 9. Note the ongoing conversations regarding long term resource 10. Note the planned activity in the coming weeks and months Claire Riley DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS NORTHUMBRIA HEALTHCARE NHS FT 23