by Liz Davies
The COVID-19 pandemic brought the excellent work of our frontline NHS staff into sharp public focus. Inside the NHS, this has been mirrored by an appreciation of the work of professional communicators, whose strategic role now very firmly occupies a seat in the boardroom.
You’ll learn:
• How virtual technology has revolutionised patient engagement
• The importance of internal comms in the delivery of patient care
• That COVID-19 has helped NHS teams develop and deepen stakeholder relationships, building social capital for an uncertain future
None of us will forget 2020 in a hurry but for the NHS it will definitely leave a lasting imprint.
Just as NHS staff dared to lift their heads after the long slog of winter, a new virus came along which, little did any of us know, would put a halt to normal life as we knew it.
Looking back at previous global health pandemics, history tells us they often result in major societal changes – the type of changes which far outlive the devastating impact of the virus itself.
Coronavirus is certainly no different and has brought about a whole new raft of learning and innovation in the NHS at a pace and scale like never before.
From the tragedy of so many lives lost (and let’s not forget we are still very much in the midst of this pandemic), the legacy left behind has and will continue to change the way the NHS does business forever.
Communications was already very much at the heart of major change in the NHS, but the impact of COVID-19 has only served to amplify our strategic value in a whole variety of ways.
Everything I’ve seen and been part of over the past six months has had comms welded into the heart of the organisational decision making, something that not only makes me proud, but gives me great confidence for the future.
Here are just a few examples of why our strategic role will continue to lead the ongoing transformation of our beloved NHS.
Embracing a new virtual world
In the space of a few short weeks, we saw the mass introduction of virtual technology for patients needing a GP consultation or hospital appointment.
Changing the way we offer patient consultations is something we’ve grappled with for years and the NHS Long Term Plan describes the traditional model of outpatients as ‘outdated’, ‘unsustainable’ and in need of ‘radical overhaul’. No arguments here.
Trying to change embedded appointment processes in a big machine like the NHS has been in the ‘too difficult box’ for far too long. There’s also been a misconstrued perception that older people can’t or won’t use technology (presumably preferring the trek to and from hospital often for short check-ups that could easily have taken place virtually). Well, COVID-19 gave us no option but to change and the results so far are very encouraging.
There will, of course, always be a need for face-to-face appointments, but the time and efficiency savings for patients, staff and the NHS as a whole as a result of virtual consultations are striking.
In my trust alone, we carry out just over 400,000 face-to-face outpatient appointments every year. Imagine the long-term environmental impact of reducing this by just 5%. 20,000 fewer car journeys to and from appointments, not to mention the reduced anxiety and stress people often associate with coming into hospital.
Listen, learn, evaluate – like never before
The fast paced switch to ‘digital first’ has had comms embedded from the outset, from the production of patient information and reassurance on virtual safety and privacy concerns, to making it easy for people to let us know what’s working and what isn’t.
Just because we’ve had to make changes quickly doesn’t mean they have all been plain sailing or our responsibilities to involve people in changes that affect them have been taken away.
This latter point is important and of particular pertinence here in the North East where big health inequalities exist – we can’t and shouldn’t assume that everyone has access to the internet and technology, or that they know how to use it.
As ever, one size does not fit all and ongoing measurement and evaluation is pivotal to success.
Connecting with staff
You’d be forgiven for thinking that public messaging and media handling were front and centre of the NHS comms response to COVID-19. Nothing could be further from the truth.
As political and national NHS leaders broadcast to the nation through live daily press conferences, NHS comms teams across the land were poised at 5pm every evening ready to digest, decipher and effectively communicate to staff whatever had been said.
The disconnect between national and local comms is a story for another day and something which has frustrated many in the profession, but this did result in opportunities.
Locally our efforts were focused on internal comms and making sure staff felt connected, were aware of what was going on and what it meant for them in the here and now of delivering patient care.
We set up a closed staff Facebook group and WhatsApp broadcast lists (without the usual IT protest), opening up new informal channels to reach our 8,000 plus workforce. This meant as new information was announced we could share this quickly, often out-of-hours and reach staff in different ways.
Investing in stakeholder relationships
Keeping stakeholders up-to-date about the impact on the NHS and local services was also crucial.
Just as we saw with the Thursday night clapping and outpouring of love for the NHS, the political mood music also changed. There was profound respect and gratitude for the efforts of the NHS with political assertions cast aside.
The pandemic opened up a safe space for frank conversations and closer relationships were inevitably formed. There is nothing like a national crisis to pull people together.
The dialogue with local councillors, MPs and local authority leaders has grown beyond recognition. Alongside regular formal briefings, the value of personal conversations, keeping people tipped off on issues as they emerge and being as responsive as possible to questions and concerns, has carved a deeper level of trust and mutual understanding.
The lasting legacy of this will be pivotal for the future. As normal life resumes, (whenever that might be), difficult and controversial decisions will still need to be made as the NHS continues to transform.
The social capital gained by investing in stakeholder relationships now, will pay dividends in times of future controversy.
Affirming our place in the boardroom
The biggest sense of pride and satisfaction throughout the pandemic has been witnessing the overwhelming appreciation of our work as professional communicators.
Our strategic role now occupies a very firm seat in the NHS boardroom and the recognition and respect gained not only from fellow executive colleagues but frontline staff and partners has been truly humbling.
The value of comms is also translating into other areas of ‘normal’ business. Colleagues from within and outside the organisation are now seeking our expert input more than ever before, recognising how we can help solve problems and support improvements.
For me personally, the response of my team has been nothing short of phenomenal and our true ‘affirmation’ has been in securing extra organisational investment to allow us to continue to develop our service offering. We made this a very easy decision for the board.
I’ve never felt prouder to be part of such an iconic institution and if we’re looking for the positives from 2020 and the heartache of COVID-19, then it’s the most definitely the great strides made for our profession which, I have no doubt, will continue to lead the NHS into the future.
Liz Davies MCIPR and CIPR Accredited Practitioner is the director of communications at South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust.
Twitter: @LizzlyDavies
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/LizzlyDavies