NHS Halton CCG Communications. and Marketing Strategy

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1 NHS Halton CCG Communications and Marketing Strategy

2 1. Introduction It is well documented the NHS has recently been through a period of unprecedented change, and it will continue to face many challenges over the next five years and beyond. Every day the NHS in Halton helps people to stay healthy, recover from illness and live independent and fulfilling lives. Effective communication can help support patients to stay healthy and restore or retain confidence during challenging times. This strategy sets out how NHS Halton CCG intends to communicate with patients, members, staff, stakeholders and the local population. The overall aim of this Communications Strategy is to support the CCG s five year strategy and to capitalise on its recent success to continue enhancing the organisation s reputation as the leader of the local NHS system. The strategy will support the organisation s strategic objectives and will set-out how we will: Communicate with our stakeholders Continue to build the reputation of NHS Halton CCG and mitigate against times of challenge and change Strengthen our working relationships with partnership organisations to reduce duplication, improve best practice and ensure smooth cooperation and collaboration on a much wider footprint Communications will support the CCG workforce in their daily activities 2. Who we are NHS Halton Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is the leader of the NHS in our area. We are responsible for the planning and purchasing of health services for the people who are registered with the 16 GP practices in Halton.

3 This includes: Elective hospital care Rehabilitation care Urgent and emergency care Most community health services Mental health and learning disability services Prescribing GP services (from 1 st April 2015) Despite residents living for longer, the local population is living a greater proportion of their lives with an illness or health problem that limits their daily activities. There are also significant differences in how long people live across the borough. The NHS Five Year Forward View sets out how the health service needs to change to address the widening gaps in the health of the population, quality of care and increased financial pressures. We recognise collaboration will be key to achieving this. Collaboration requires individuals, communities and organisations to work together to bring about meaningful change and achieve the best possible outcome. Communications will play an important role in enabling and supporting these conversations to take place. It will also help to maintain public confidence by ensuring stakeholders, including the public, are kept informed of our activities openly and transparently. 3. Organisational Vision and Values The organisation has an overarching vision of: To involve everybody in improving the health and wellbeing of the people of Halton

4 This vision is supported by a set of values and behaviours which are listed below and will be threaded throughout all of our communications. Partnership We will work collaboratively with our practices, local people, communities and with other organisations with whom we share a common purpose. Openness We will undertake to deliver all business within the public domain unless there is a legitimate reason for us not to do so. Caring We will place local people, patients, carers and their families at the heart of everything we do. Honesty We will be clear in what we are able to do and what we are not able to do as a commissioning organisation. Leadership We will be role models and champions for health in the local community. Quality We will commission the services we ourselves would want to access. Transformation We will work to deliver improvement and real change in care We will also ensure our communication closely follows and supports the NHS values, 1 which will demonstrate our: Professionalism Clarity 1

5 Respect Accessibility Straightforwardness 4. Current Situation NHS Halton CCG is now in its fourth year of being a statutory organisation. During that period it has worked hard to establish a strong organisational identity and culture, and is widely respected among regional partners and NHS organisations was a landmark year for the organisation and it is now beginning to build a national reputation for being progressive and innovative. Our successes to-date include organising and obtaining a Guinness World Record; being shortlisted for and winning several national awards including a HSJ Award, building a growing following on social media and establishing a strong and identifiable brand that is widely trusted and respected amongst public and patients. Developing the strategy The strategy was developed through a series of methods which included undertaking surveys and holding focus groups with staff and representatives from member practices. From this research we were able to evaluate how well we have communicated with our key audiences and set-out specific and measurable goals for the next period. The CCG 360o stakeholder survey is one of the key methods we measure our engagement and communication with practices and the key themes have been considered in developing this strategy and will also be one of the evaluation methods. The strategy will support the organisational objectives set-out in the 5 year Sustainability and Transformation Plan, the One Halton Health and Wellbeing Operational Plan and will be closely aligned to the Consultation and Engagement Strategy.

6 5. Risk Analysis A number of areas have been identified as being weaknesses or threats. This has been measured through consultation with staff and stakeholders. Strengths Established Governing Body with high level of strategic expertise and a varied skill set. Good relationships with partner and provider communication teams Highly productive and skilled workforce Weaknesses Continuously changing environment Increasing demands on staff A small communications team Our internal communication channels need further development Skilled and knowledgeable communication resource Established communication channels Opportunities Continue to further enhance clinical engagement between provider and commissioner organisations. Strengthen working relationships with partners and providers Modify & refine our communication channels to ensure they are future proof Continue to build our national reputation via marketing and PR opportunities Threats Political challenge and further change Loss of public and clinician confidence. Diverse and competing demands on time to undertake the necessary work. Financial challenges Major incidents and Serious Untoward Incidents Consideration has been given to overcoming these threats below Financial Challenges The organisation faces real financial challenges over the next three years, which

7 could impact on the decisions we make. Communication will be key to ensuring these messages are conveyed openly and clearly with assurance and sensitivity. Provider Performance Provider performance reflects on the CCG and its reputation. By working with our providers we can ensure they flag up potential risks. Horizon scanning within the organisation can also ensure the communications team is advised and can prepare for potential issues as early as possible. Business Continuity The Business Continuity Plan outlines how the CCG will respond in the event of an emergency or major incident and contains action cards, which outlines the roles and responsibilities of the communications team. Having well developed crisis communication plans in place will ensure the CCG is as prepared as possible - in particular handling the media, managing communication with staff and where appropriate coordinating responses with partner organisations and providers. Governance Strong governance arrangements can reduce many of the risks that could face an organisation and impact negatively on its reputation, such as conflicts of interest, data breaches and irregularity. Ensuring staff are aware of and fully understand the protocols will help to reduce potential risks. Press Relations Building strong relations with our local media is key to ensuring the success of this strategy. We will ensure we are proactive in our approach to journalists and respond in a timely and appropriate manner to reactive enquiries. Partnership Working Many of our challenges outlined will be more effectively met with effective and robust partnerships. We will need to ensure there is an open and constant dialogue with our partners and providers to enable communication activity to be as joined up as possible. This will include:

8 Working with other commissioners to ensure there is clarity about who will lead on proactive and reactive communications on areas of shared responsibility Collaborating more closely with other commissioners and provider organisations, to maximise the impact of communications and deliver on a much wider footprint, particularly around key projects such as One Halton, Alliance Local Delivery System and Sustainability and Transformation Plans Ensuring that changes to structures or working arrangements do not present reputational risks. Utilising the channels and networks of our partners to ensure our messages have as wide a reach as possible. For example the Widnes Vikings have thousands of followers we would find difficult to reach via our normal channels. 6. Audiences Building effective and supportive relationships with our key stakeholders is critical to the success of this strategy and will reduce duplication in the system. We will communicate clearly and to professional standards, using methods which are appropriate to the audience. Our audiences include: Staff CCG Governing Body Member practices Patients and public MPs Local council members Healthwatch Halton

9 NHS England Collaborating CCGs Partner and provider organisations Health Forum Patient Participation Groups Health and Wellbeing Board Third sector and patient support groups (via local CVS organisations) Local Overview and Scrutiny Committee Local Medical Committees Local Pharmacy Committees Local Chamber of Commerce Housing Trusts and other public sector organisations Local Social Enterprises We recognise this list is extensive and audiences, or the level of audience involvement (especially for patients and public), may vary depending on the project. For example, if the CCG was considering redesigning one of the services it commissions, we would need to communicate with patients and public but the level of involvement could be extremely varied from existing service users, who would be involved in discussions about what the new service could look like but the rest of the population would be made aware of the new service via the press, website, leaflet or face-to-face. However, a campaign such as Examine Your Options, which aims to reduce inappropriate attendances at A&E by providing positive alternatives, will communicate on a much wider scale.

10 7. Supporting the Strategic Objectives NHS Halton CCG has recently updated its strategic objectives, which are set-out below and how the communications function will support each one. Objective One: To commission services which continually improve the health and wellbeing of the people of Halton. We want to ensure we commission services which can actively support and improve the health and wellbeing of local people. To enable this to happen, these services need to be continually monitored and evaluated to ensure they are the best fit for our local population. Communications support: 1. We will actively promote and publicise the services we commission; providing clear and timely information to patients (for example the annual Examine Your Options campaign which promotes pharmacy, GP out of hours, the Urgent Care Centres and NHS Choices). 2. We will actively market new services to patients (working with providers where appropriate). 3. The communications team will support the writing of award applications for appropriate awards and promote our successes. Objective Two: To continually improve and innovate in our engagement with local people and communities to secure their participation in improving their own health outcomes. NHS Halton CCG is dedicated to 'Involving everybody in improving the health and wellbeing of the people of Halton' and we are committed to engaging with patients through various platforms to promote and ensure inclusion and involvement. Communications support: 4. We will ensure our communication with public, patients and carers is meaningful and will continually strive to refine and improve our channels. To enable this we will ensure we are always:

11 Accessible and Inclusive to all people in our community Clear and professional, demonstrating clinical expertise and credibility Targeted, to ensure people are getting the information they need Open, honest and transparent Accurate, fair and balanced Timely and relevant Sustainable, to ensure on-going mutually beneficial relationships Two-way, we won t just talk, we ll listen Cost-effective, always striving for best value Objective Three: To deliver improvements in the quality of the health and care services accessed by the people of Halton within the resources available to us and our partner organisations. NHS Halton CCG is responsible for measuring the quality of the health services accessed by local people. The CCG actively monitors this in a variety of ways: Quality Performance Dashboard Patient feedback and complaints On-going dialogue with partner and provide organisations A commitment to deliver improvements in the quality of services accessed by our local population is one of our key objectives over the next three years. Communications support: 5. We will ensure that successes in significantly improving quality targets are communicated with both our internal and external stakeholders. 6. We will continue to build positive and proactive relationships with our partners and providers to remove duplication, standardise messages and ensure there is an open and honest culture where potential issues are flagged up via the early warning system. This is a system which relies on staff, providers &

12 member practices advising the communications team of emerging issues to ensure they can be properly planned and handled. Objective Four: To deliver all of our statutory duties and commissioning responsibilities effectively, whilst ensuring there are robust constitutional, governance and financial control arrangements in place. The NHS faces many financial challenges over the next three years which may impact on the decisions we make. Communications Support: 7. The communications function will advise and lead on how these decisions will be communicated with the public. 8. With support from the Governing Body and Executive Management Team we will lead on the delivery of the annual report and ensure that all required statutory information is made available on the website. 9. We will ensure staff can access our Governance policies and protocols and make them aware of new guidance via the CCG bulletin and intranet. The Publication Scheme on the website will ensure the public are kept informed. Objective Five: To develop the skills, knowledge and competence of the people who are working with us to create a high performing organisation that will allow us to build effective partnerships with other organisations and develop leadership from within. Communications Support: 10. We will continue to promote the work of the CCG across Halton, and will proactively build positive relationships with the communication leads from partner organisations. 11. The communications function will support promoting NHS Halton CCG as a great place to work with lots of career opportunities to retain and attract an effective workforce. 12. We will implement an internal communications programme to promote

13 inclusion and assist with managing the information flow within the organisation to reduce the stress within the organisation. 13. The communications function is also committed to continually developing its skill set and keeping up-to-date with industry best practice. We will use this expertise to support staff across the organisation in relation to communications and marketing. 8. Communication Tools External channels Website Blog Twitter and other social media channels Community Radio show Press releases Campaigns Events Corporate documents Marketing materials Regular page within Inside Halton Internal channels CCG Bulletin Stand-up Team meetings Away Days Noticeboards Desktop Website In May 2015 the CCG launched a new website. Although the website is an improvement on the previous site in terms of design and the content management system, there has been a number of teething issues in relation to the navigation and some aspects of the functionality. 14. The communications team develop proposal for improving the current site or developing a new one. Community Radio Show The monthly CCG Community Radio show now has a steady following within the local NHS and our surrounding community.

14 15. Over the next year we will be working hard to continue to build our listeners and the investment in new equipment at Halton Community Radio will provide an opportunity for live broadcasts from events or meetings. Intranet The feedback from staff regarding the current intranet facility is that it requires further development because information is difficult to locate and the functionality is limited. 16. Over the next 6 months we will work up a proposal for a new site which more closely meets the needs of staff and start the development process 9. Roles and Responsibilities Although it is critical for the CCG to have the channels outlined above, they will have little impact without relevant, engaging content to communicate. It is therefore the responsibility of everyone within the CCG to: Keep the CCG s communications team informed about their area of work to enable the forward plan to be kept up-to-date Provide an early warning of reputational risks to enable issues to be planned for and managed Adhere to the media policy, which is situated on the G drive, at all times Be responsible for ensuring they attend appropriate staff events (stand-up, team meetings, away days), read staff communications and keeping themselves up-to-date with current information The role of the Communications Team is to lead and deliver major communications projects and to support colleagues in their own communications activities.

15 We will: 17. Manage and maintain the CCG s communication tools (although additional staff may also be granted access to these channels, for example the website and Twitter account). 18. Develop and manage the operational delivery of the communication and marketing strategy and action plan 19. Via the Information Governance Committee, provide the CCG Governing Body with progress reports ensuring that the board is made aware of any significant issues which will impact on the effectiveness of the strategy and any risk in terms of achieving the objectives 20. Identify, plan for and respond to emerging issues which may have a detrimental impact on the reputation of the CCG and / or the NHS brand 21. Handle reactive media activity, ensuring appropriate response and timely escalation of issues and where required coordinate responses with communication leads from partner and provider organisations 22. Oversee all proactive media activity, and, where required coordinate media activity with communication leads from partner and provider organisations 23. Where appropriate, plan and manage marketing campaigns for specific programmes such as the Examine Your Options campaign 24. Support commissioning leads and CCG senior officers with practical communication support, including the development and implementation of communication plans 25. Additional resources have been commissioned from Midlands and Lancashire CSU who will provide support and advice in relation to strategic communications 26. With support from the CSU (where appropriate) handle all crisis communications in relation to serious and untoward incidents and major incidents NHS Brand Effective management of the CCG s identity and corporate house style is an

16 important element in protecting the organisation s reputation and in ensuring that CCG s vision and values are clearly visible within all our communications. Local communications support and CCG member practices, through the Governing Body, will be the keepers of the CCG brand. 27. We will work with staff to ensure that the brand and the corporate house style is implemented in an appropriate manner at all levels. To support staff with this, the communications team have developed a series of corporate templates and guidelines about how the NHS and corporate identity should be applied. Ensuring Inclusivity Promoting equality and equity are at the heart of the NHS values. To ensure we exercise fairness in all that we do and that no community or group is left behind we need to ensure our communication is clear, precise and accessible to everyone. 28. This team will provide communication in different formats or tailoring it to ensure it meets the needs of specific groups within our community. Following guidance from NHS England, this approach will be extended to our digital communications (including the website) and the CCG may be required to look at ways to ensure they are accessible to all. Protocols and Procedures 29. The communications team will revise the communications and media protocols and will develop a series of how to guides on a variety of topics including Purdah, Twitter and photography to enable staff to follow corporate and national guidelines. 10. Measuring Effectiveness

17 To measure the effectiveness of the communications and marketing strategy and supporting communications, it is necessary to carry out an annual evaluation. Ongoing evaluation of our communications activities will help us to: Understand how well our communication channels work and how they can be improved Provide a baseline figure for comparison (for example monthly website usage) Monitor how effectively the communications and marketing department is supporting the organisation s strategic objectives Be held to account by internal and external stakeholders Media coverage: We will monitor and analyse the media coverage we receive; assessing the amount of positive media coverage generated and challenging any inaccurate stories. Focus groups and an annual staff survey to assess communication methods and information flow within the organisation will be undertaken to measure the success of internal communications. We will also use the CCG 360o stakeholder survey as a measurement tool. Annual survey with patients and public will assess external communication methods and measure the effectiveness of our key messages Website and Intranet: Usage of the website and the Hub will be monitored and analysed. Social media: Number of followers and hits will be measured alongside reach for individual posts Bulletin: Each edition can be measured on how many receivers open the and which items they click on. It will also be evaluated via the annual survey and focus groups with staff

18 11. Budget and Resources The success of this strategy will be dependent on the resources which are available within the organisation. The Communications Manager will work with the Head of Corporate Services to ensure that sufficient support is in place to deliver the activity set out in the communications action plan, and that this support is structured so as to best achieve the CCG s communications objectives. Part of this review will include an assessment of resources. Additional resources have been commissioned from Midlands and Lancashire CSU, which equates to half a day a week. Although this resource can be used flexibly we anticipate in the main the organisation will provide strategic communications advice and support, and will be additional capacity during busy periods, like crisis communications. Much of the activity can be delivered at minimal or nil cost through use of existing mechanisms and channels of communication and engagement, although there will be resource requirements in terms of people s time. With investment in software we are now able to undertake some aspects of design in-house as well, although larger pieces of work may still need to be outsourced. Any activity in relation to specific areas of work such as campaigns like the Examine Your Options campaign, will need to be fully costed up or tailored to a set budget and will be submitted to the budget holder for approval before any activity is commissioned.