Well it has been an interesting year to date… but I’m hoping that the last six months will guide us and enforce a new behaviour shift that we have been needing for as long as I’ve been involved and supporting my health clients to encourage people to think smarter as to how they access services, self care, making the right choices…..

As we enter the uncertainty of the winter period it gives me a little time to reflect on some of the amazing projects we have been involved with this year and hopefully we will continue to have the impact moving ahead and improve patient outcomes.

St Helens Cares

Back in January 2020 we delivered an effective campaign across St Helens to help improve patient experience and encouraging the public to choose the right service for them, keeping their Emergency Departments free for those who really need it. Working closely with the team at St. Helens we created a suite of materials that supported their public engagement plan, in schools, in GP practices, out in shopping locations and across the economy a host of communications and materials were distributed. These included handy pocket sized information cards, digital screens, social media graphics, banner stands, information posters, all complemented by an outward facing engagement team who were committed to ensuring the general public understood the importance of making the right choice.

A regional Suicide Prevention campaign has been shortlisted for a prestigious award at this year’s NHS in the North Excellence in Supply Awards, celebrating inspirational examples of businesses, third sector organisations and the NHS working together to improve patient care and support health and care staff during COVID-19.

The campaign – Suicide Prevention during  COVID-19 has been recognised in the category for Excellence in supply during COVID -19. Supporting the system.

Here’s some of the background for the project.

Louise Thomas (Lancashire and South Cumbria ICS) – Project manager –

Louise immediately identified the risks associated with Isolation and lockdown and the effect that this could have on vulnerable people, through insight gathered, the campaign was quickly mobilised to reach out and share support to those most at risk groups, through a targetted digital campaign and also working in partnerships with services still being accessed (pharmacies and hub networks), with immediate impact and a huge increase in engagement with the website and support links.

Louise quickly pulled together a project team, a clear strategy followed and actioned the campaign through initial insight and user testing with various groups within the more vulnerable locations that had been identified through the mapping process across the region. These hot spots were prioritised for a complete marketing and engagement programme, through digital channels, that were identified as “high level of engagement” for the segmented audience. Along with traditional channels and “socially distanced” engagement and awareness. A strong relevant creative was developed, through the delivery channels we adapted the narrative across the region dependent on the audience demographic and within specific locations. The impact in specific areas has resulted in a huge awareness of the support available for those who are vulnerable during this period and therefore has a huge impact on the health system, specifically in the management of the number of suicides in Lancashire and South Cumbria, furthermore the campaign will continue to progress and support people and services across the region with more stages of the campaign as we start to open from lockdown measures and risks are further identified due to other reasons (furlough ending, meaning redundancy etc) The work continues to link in with local Mental Health Service providers, Text services, Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS FT, third sector providers, Samaritans, CAMHS services and with their support the project will continue to encourage people to TALK. The campaign assets can be shared upon request, however the link to the social media activity and videos to support the campaign can be sourced through the Healthier Lancashire and South Cumbria Facebook pages – https://www.facebook.com/HealthierLSC

Creativeworld Health’s Communications specialist David Bennett added “it’s been an overwhelmingly positive response to the campaign to encourage people to keep talking, and that working together as a team we were able to align the campaign to the ever changing environment and mobilise the key messages into the communities effectively. I’m so proud of the team involved and that we are able to contribute towards impacting on peoples health and wellbeing”

The campaign is now preparing assets ready to share across Lancashire and South Cumbria over what could potentially be the toughest winter yet.

Here’s a link to the awards categories and finalists –

https://www.innovationagencynwc.nhs.uk/excellence-in-supply-awards-2020