28 August 2009
Innovation – the key to a brighter future
Felicity Knights, Director of Public Relations
I do my utmost to find an unconventional healthcare topic to
ponder and impart for this column but it's impossible to avoid the
impending budget slashing that is facing the NHS. The NHS has
witnessed lean years before but according to some opinion formers,
it has never faced sustained periods of ever-reducing funds.
Combined with a potential change in government and policy, we are
looking at a pretty shaky 2010, or are we?
PCTs have worked hard to build their reputations, make their
plans and educate the public that they are accountable to them and
their healthcare needs. Many wrote their optimistic five-year plans
in 2008 when the sun was shining brightly. Now the storm clouds
have gathered and the NHS is faced with making efficiency savings
of £15bn-£20bn from 2011, the reality for delivery is somewhat
different. But still the same health problems exist; it is only the
funding that has changed. PCTs are still accountable and must
continue to engage with their public and educate them if they are
to succeed.
So why am I so optimistic? We are working hard, despite the
budgets, to deliver cost-effective and successful campaigns,
helping PCTs reach their targets. PR has benefited massively from
the budget restrained marketing plans of 2009. Many of our clients
have reduced their more expensive advertising budgets and used the
surplus to invest in more case study led, clinically backed
editorial. Furthermore, by combining good PR with digital strategy
you not only drive awareness of a particular health topic, you can
drive traffic to an educational website and self-help information
source.
According to Roy Lilley, Healthcare speaker and broadcaster: "My
worry is there will be many managers in the NHS who have never
managed in a down-turn. It takes a different mindset and a lot of
innovation.
Now is the time to get smarter. Blogs, Twitter, YouTube. Bring
the technology you use in your personal and family life to work.
Tell people what's going on and make them part of the
solution."
In order to survive, we have to assist healthcare providers to
deliver better communications for less investment. In turn, they
must be aiming to move care away from hospitals and prevent the
illnesses and long term conditions that plague our society and cost
the NHS so much.
Lord Darzi's report High Quality Care for All has no doubt set
the NHS on a journey to improve patient care and experience. The
next steps will be towards innovation, keeping people out of
hospital and giving them more choice.
With regards to giving patients more choice, I will be eager to
read the latest sources of clinical and non-clinical evidence that
shall be available on NHS Evidence. Communicating its whereabouts
and meaning to the general public is going to be a challenge but
one that I truly hope will provide people with a better insight and
therefore, better power to choose their healthcare provider. So to
conclude, despite the doom, I hope you can see why I think the
future is looking very interesting and indeed, optimistic.