Impact of COVID-19 on NHS comms
A new book describes the extraordinary achievements of NHS communication practitioners during the COVID-19 crisis.
The impact of COVID-19 on NHS comms documents the scale of the challenge faced by professional NHS communicators since the start of the Coronavirus pandemic in early 2020.
It’s the fifth book in the #FuturePRoof series curated and edited by my wife Sarah Waddington. This healthcare-focused edition follows #FuturePRoof Three: The NHS at 70 with lessons for the wider PR community, published in 2018.
Twenty authors including frontline healthcare professionals, journalists, finance professionals and suppliers cover a range of topics in sixteen chapters, including how the pandemic has prompted a wholesale digital transformation of the NHS for both patients and staff.
The book describes how internal communications has become a primary function for communications teams working round the clock to keep staff updated and safe.
Chris Hopson, CEO, NHS Providers spotted an information gap between the Downing Street press conferences and what was happening on the frontline. He used the organisation’s 216-strong membership to share stories and intelligence with the public via the media.
The need for greater flexibility from NHS England which operates a command and control function in a level 4 emergency is a strong theme that emerges from the book. It’s an issue picked up by Claire Riley, John Underwood, Bill Nichols, Adam Brimelow and Daniel Reynolds.
Cassie Zachariou describes the challenge of giving BBC News’ Fergus Walsh access to an intensive care unit (ICU) to convey the severity of the crisis. Patient care and privacy needed to be balanced with public health. It’s the start of a lovely relationship and an important piece of storytelling.
Kirk Millis-Ward shares the story of the launch of the NHS COVID-19 app. He outlines the challenge of launching the app amid heavy media scrutiny and how the team utilised two-way communications, expert advocacy and hyper local community engagement.
COVID-19 has driven the adoption of technology. Liz Davies explores the positive impact of COVID-19 on public engagement and the transformation of communications. Virtual technology has been used to deliver services directly to patients and messaging and social platforms for internal communication.
Supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE) were challenging during the pandemic. Paul Dunn and Sarah Rose document how Northumbria NHS Foundation Trust created its own manufacturing facility.
“When I wrote about the challenges facing the NHS in #FuturePRoof Three: The NHS at 70 with lessons for the wider PR community, little did I know that less than two years later it would be providing the first line of defence against COVID-19,” said Waddington.
#FuturePRoof Five: The impact of COVID-19 on NHS comms is published at cost in print via Blurb priced £15.99 and digitally via Amazon Kindle priced £4.50.
A chapter a day from the book will also be published via the #FuturePRoof blog and shared via the @weareproofed Twitter account.
All costs associated with the design, production and marketing of #FuturePRoof are paid for by Sarah’s agency Astute.Work as part of her mission to improve social mobility within the industry by making thought leadership and best practice accessible.
