Communications Strategy

National Public Health Service for Wales Communications Strategy

SMT Sponsor: Chris Lines Author: Chris Lines

Date: 16th March 2005 Version: 2

For SMT on: 22nd March 2005 Approved at SMT 22/03/05

Summary: The NPHS Senior Management Team agreed a communications strategy in the summer of 2004 as a working document.

The appointment of a Head of Communications in January 2005 led to a review of this strategy and all communications activity within the NPHS. This review included structured interviews with key staff and stakeholders and questionnaire work with a sample of 50 staff across the organisation.

The communications issues and challenges identified in this review are reported separately (SMT 03-05 CL1) and summarised here.

This revised Communications Strategy seeks to refine and, in some cases, redefine the existing strategy with priorities and messages stated more clearly.

The strategy has been agreed by the NPHS Communications Group.

Relevant Previous SMT Papers: Ref. No.: SMT 03-05 CL2 V2 Communications Strategy August 2004

Proposed Publication/Distribution if Approved:

 Publication on the NPHS internet and intranet sites with links in the E- newsletter Version: 2 Date: 16th March Status: Approved 2005 Author: Chris Lines Page: 1 of 14 National Public Health Service for Wales Communications Strategy

Contents

1. Introduction Page 4

2. Issues and challenges Page 4

2.1 Internal communication challenges Page 4

2.2 Marketing communication challenges Page 5

2.3 Public communication challenges Page 6

2.4 Conclusions Page 6

3. Communication aims Page 6

4. Communication values Page 6

5. Communication principles Page 7

6. Communication strategy Page 7

6.1 Internal communications Page 7

6.2 Marketing communications Page 8

6.3 Public communications Page 8

7. Messages Page 9

7.1 Vision Page 9

7.2 Role and purpose Page 9

7.3 Key work and priorities Page 9

8. Organisational development Page 10

8.1 Clear organisational structure Page 10

8.2 Work planning process Page 10

9. Internal communications programme Page 10

9.1 E-bulletin Page 10

9.2 Clear cascading system Page 11

9.3 Staff directory Page 11

9.4 Intranet Page 12 Version: 2 Date: 16th March Status: Approved 2005 Author: Chris Lines Page: 2 of 14 National Public Health Service for Wales Communications Strategy

9.5 Workplaces Page 12

9.6 Staff conference Page 12

9.7 Induction Page 12

10. Marketing communications programme Page 13

10.1 Database Page 13

10.2 Stakeholder Forum Page 13

10.3 National Public Health News for Wales Page 13

10.4 Prospectus Page 13

10.5 Conference attendance Page 13

11. Public Communications programme Page 14

11.1 Assembly Healthy Living all-Party Group Page 14

11.2 Web site Page 14

11.3 Media relations Page 14

11.4 Corporate identity Page 14

12. Monitoring and the way forward Page 14

Version: 2 Date: 16th March Status: Approved 2005 Author: Chris Lines Page: 3 of 14 National Public Health Service for Wales Communications Strategy

1 Introduction

The NPHS Senior Management Team agreed a communications strategy in the summer of 2004 as a working document.

The appointment of a Head of Communications in January 2005 led to a review of this strategy and all communications activity within the NPHS. This review included structured interviews with key staff and stakeholders and questionnaire work with a sample of 50 staff across the organisation.

The communications issues and challenges identified in this review are summarised here.

This revised Communications Strategy seeks to refine and, in some cases, redefine the existing strategy with priorities and messages stated more clearly.

The strategy has been agreed by the NPHS Communications Group for wider consultation prior to presentation to the Senior Management Team.

1 Issues and challenges

The communication issues and challenges identified are grouped and summarised here as follows:

 Internal communication challenges;

 Marketing communication challenges;

 Public communication challenges.

It should be noted that, in communications, perception is as important or more important than reality. It may be argued that some of the issues listed are not really problems or have been dealt with. However, whatever action has been taken to deal with issues, perceptions remain unaltered in many cases.

2.1 Internal communications challenges

The internal communications issues and challenges identified are as follows:

 Lack of identification with, understanding of and loyalty to the organisation;

 Inability to influence the organisation;

 Inability to understand or make the complex matrix management model work;

 Visibility and identity issues arising from partnership working;

 Imbalance of formal communications on corporate rather than service issues;

 Cultural divide between ICDS and the rest;

 The lack of understanding of the work planning process, its lack of strategic direction and the unclear connections between business planning, work planning and objective setting;

 Growing pains arising from organisational change and work pressures;

 Geographical isolation;

 Inconsistent use and unreliability of communication channels;

 Poor information technology and poor use of it;

 Inconsistent application of the NPHS graphic corporate identity;

 Lack of induction material focusing on NPHS, rather than Velindre NHS Trust;

 Lack of understanding of the role and contribution of the Velindre Trust.

2.2 Marketing communication challenges

The marketing communications – communications with stakeholders - issues are defined as follows:

 Multitude of stakeholders and their variety of interests;

 Lack of understanding of the NPHS, its purpose and the services it provides;

 Invisibility of some NPHS work to the partners it’s provided for;

 Inability to influence the work plan;

 Difficulty in balancing local and national priorities;

 Money flow which doesn’t reflect service development;

 Difficulties in using, and variability of information on, the web site;

 Lack of systematic transmission of public health information to stakeholders.

2.3 Public communication challenges

The challenges arising from communication with the wider public are as follows:

 Poor public understanding of the concept and practice of public health;

 Public belief in only a minor or incidental role of public health;

 Very low profile of the NPHS and very limited attempts at public health advocacy compared with the high profile of many public health issues;

 Good reputation of the NPHS in responding to media enquiries.

2.4 Conclusions

The NPHS faces many, massive and complex communications challenges. The fact that these are more most lengthy and detailed in the area of internal communications reflects the emphasis of the challenge not just the more detailed research in this area. Given media interest in public health issues, a campaign to raise the media profile of the NPHS is straightforward in public relations terms. A programme to develop the identity, cohesion and loyalty of NPHS staff is not so straightforward.

3 Communication aims

The aims of the communications strategy are to:

 Build, in NPHS staff, stakeholders and opinion-formers, an understanding of the organisation’s vision, purpose, objectives, skills and achievements;

 Promote the health improvement, protection and quality messages that come out of the organisation’s business, organisational development and work plans;

 Generate broad-based buy-in to the public health agenda in Wales;

These aims are reflected in the NPHS business plan.

4 Communication values

To achieve its aims, the NPHS has to adopt and promote the following values:

 Empowerment of staff so that they are able contribute to and influence the organisation according to their knowledge, skills and experience;

 Openness so that staff, stakeholders and the public can understand the work and decision-making of the organisation;

 Partnership so that others who share, or are important to, the public health agenda are included in the work of the organisation.

5 Communication principles

To deliver its communications strategy, the NPHS accepts the following communication principles:

 Good communications is a two-way process. It’s about listening as well as saying;

 Action speaks louder than words so communications must be in step with the reality of the organisation and its activity;

 Communications is part of the organisation and the way it works, not an adjacent activity. At their best, communications processes are invisible, inherent and indivisible from the organisation’s working structures and processes;

 Good communications is dependent on clarity of vision, purpose, understanding, messages and language.

6 Communication strategy

6.1 Internal communications

To tackle the substantial communications challenges facing it, the NPHS must first improve and develop its internal communications. Employees must understand, believe and have confidence in the vision, purpose and capability of the organisation before stakeholders and the public can be expected to.

To achieve this understanding, belief and confidence will require more than the improved deployment of communication tools. It will also require organisational change so that the NPHS has structures which are clear and which allow employees to contribute to and influence the direction of the organisation. In particular, the senior staff who are key to the management and implementation of the organisation’s work – Local Public Health Directors, Resource Team Leaders, Communicable Disease Consultants - must have a forum where they can contribute directly to the direction and development of this work.

The organisation should be developed so that every employee’s objectives are agreed in the clear context of the NPHS business plan. Every employee should be able to Version: 2 Date: 16th March Status: Approved 2005 Author: Chris Lines Page: 7 of 14 National Public Health Service for Wales Communications Strategy

connect his or her work to the tasks, objectives, goals and domains laid down in the NPHS business and work plans. So, internal communications and messages should be tied in to the business planning process.

Communication routes within the NPHS must be clearer, better understood and more reliable. Communication should be direct and through defined management structures rather than through representatives as far as possible.

There should be a known, accessible and appropriate forum for every employee where s/he can have a say and where s/he can be informed of NPHS work. These for a should complement communication channels where the organisation can communicate directly with all staff.

1.1 Marketing communications

Stakeholders come into contact with the NPHS primarily through the staff who provide its services. These staff are therefore the organisation’s most important communicators. Staff who understand, believe and have confidence in the vision, purpose and capability of the organisation (see 6.1 above) will be more effective communicators. This is why internal communications are the first priority.

The NPHS exists to provide services so it is important that stakeholders feel that they are able to shape its services. To do this, dialogue has to be two-way.

As with internal communication strategy, direct communications should be preferred to representative communications. To achieve this will require key staff to take on clearly defined communication responsibilities for specified stakeholders. Direct, but less frequently used, routes to stakeholders should also be defined.

As far as possible, communications with stakeholders should focus on services that are directly relevant to them. It is important that messages are appropriately targeted. There should be scope for promoting a broader understanding of the NPHS role, work and achievements but this should be limited in the context of the most important and direct service messages.

6.3 Public communications

The third element of communications strategy is that of communications with the public. This element should be rolled out of the marketing communications strategy. There are cases where it is useful to reach stakeholders with messages via the wider public and media but this will only work if credibility has been achieved directly with the stakeholders beforehand.

Public health is central to the public agenda. It already has a high profile. The NPHS should be seen to be leading public health advocacy in Wales. Opinion formers need to be better engaged and briefed. Likewise, both the national and local media need to be engaged with a media programme developed out of the NPHS work plan. Liaison with WAG is key to making this work.

The initial focus of activity should be on those areas of work where there is already an instinctive public understanding: health promotion and health protection.

2 Messages

Developing and agreeing key messages which are understood and instinctively repeated by staff, stakeholders and opinion-formers is key to the success of the communications strategy.

These messages should be based on the services and achievements of the NPHS not on its predecessors, structures, processes or other corporate activity. People better identify with and respond to outcomes, services and actions linked directly to people than they do to structures, theory and jargon.

Messages should also tie in directly to the NPHS domains, goals and objectives so that there is clarity of purpose and a clear connection between what people see is being done and what is being said. Actions speak louder than words so the words must be in harmony with the actions.

2.1 Vision

The vision of the National Public Health Service for Wales is currently being considered with the development of the business plan. It currently stands as:

‘to make a unique contribution to the protection and improvement of the health and wellbeing of the people of Wales, through the delivery of high quality, accessible and appropriate specialist public health services.’

7.2 Role and purpose

The National Public Health Service for Wales seeks to:

 Improve the health and wellbeing of the people of Wales and reduce inequalities in health;

 Protect against existing, new and emerging diseases and health threats; and

 Contribute to improvements in health and social care services.

7.3 Key work and priorities

The key work and priorities of the National Public Health Service for Wales is ‘delivering Health Challenge Wales, reducing the impact of infections and helping the NHS provide safe and effective services.’

There will be many sub-messages in line with the many elements of the work plan but each should have a resonance in this message.

8 Organisational development

8.1 Clear organisational structure

The organisation’s structure needs to be clarified so that there is a recognised forum for the Resource Team Leaders and Local Public Health Directors to meet together to shape the direction and work of the organisation. This forum would have a formal role in developing the work plan, corporate services and policies of the NPHS. By including managers from ICDS it would cover the whole organisation.

These changes would require a more limited but strategic role for the Senior Management Team.

There is also a need to define the roles of key fora at every tier in the NPHS decision- making process so that every member of staff knows the appropriate forum to which they belong and where they can receive information and express views.

The definition of the role of the Regional meeting of Local Public Health Directors requires particular attention so that it does not replicate other fora and has a clear purpose.

It is important that the chain of fora is kept as short as practical.

8.2 Work planning process

The business planning and work planning structure should be laid down clearly and applied consistently against an agreed and known timetable. The process should connect NPHS domains to goals, objectives, tasks and on to individual staff objectives.

The structure needs to bring together the planning cycles of the Velindre Trust, WAG, LHBs and other stakeholders. It also needs to incorporate feedback and reporting processes.

9 Internal Communications programme

9.1 E-bulletin

The E-newsletter should be re-branded and re-launched as the NPHS e-bulletin – the definitive information source for all staff.

It should have a greater focus on the public health work and operations of the organisation rather than its corporate activity. The main body of material would be brief summarising paragraphs and links to new reports, information and material from the all-Wales Resource Teams available on the NPHS intranet site.

Every attempt should be made to make the e-bulletin interactive with responses expected and encouraged to some of the items. However, it should not be used for communication requiring an urgent response.

Its publication should be fortnightly with publication dates adhered to more rigidly.

Dissemination of the e-bulletin should be direct to all staff to ensure direct and fast communication and to improve ease of reading. This is most easily achieved with the installation of the single server for all non-ICDS staff.

It should be produced in a format which could be printed and copied easily for distribution to staff who do not have access to e-mail.

Editorial control should be aligned with other communications work to ensure consistency of messages.

9.2 Clear cascading system

After the fora, referred to in 8.1 above, have been defined, there will be an agreed set of links in the communications chain so that:

 There is a known, accessible and appropriate forum for every employee where s/he can have a say and where s/he can be informed of NPHS work; and

 There are managers in each forum with the specific task of passing on information and views along the chain in each direction.

Each forum meeting should have the latest copy(ies) of the e-bulletin as an agenda item with access to the linked material if needed. Managers and staff are then able to draw attention to items of relevance or interest.

Information of relevance to particular staff groups e.g. Local Public Health Teams, Laboratories, could be added to the e-bulletin regionally and locally as it passes through the organisation.

A timetable should be established a year in advance so the cascade of meetings complement each other. The two end points in the chain should be as close together as is practical.

9.3 Staff Directory

There should be an intranet/web based directory of all NPHS staff listed by name, job title, contact details, team membership, expertise (lead role and areas of developed and developing interest) and training needs.

There should also be a published annual version of the directory for laboratory staff and people working outside the NPHS.

9.4 Intranet

Processes for keeping the intranet up-to-date need agreeing and enforcing though team and corporate content managers.

The upgrade of the site’s design will improve ease of use and bring the rest of the NPHS in line with the ICDS pages. New pages for events and news will be incorporated.

There should be single point of editorial control to ensure the site is easy to read and navigate, a consistency of language and style and co-ordination with other communications work. The intranet editor should co-ordinate the work of the Team Content Managers.

The focus of the site should be on services not corporate activity.

9.5 Work places

The work places that have been piloted with the Child Health and Corporate Services Teams should aid communications within teams.

The process for developing documents in the work place should ensure prompt, wider and more consistent dissemination through the intranet and internet.

9.6 Staff Conference

Two single day staff conferences should be held every year with the objectives of sharing best professional practice and achieving Continued Professional Development. There should be content of interest and value to all types of staff both in the plenary and with posters on display.

The internal communications value of such conferences will come from the professional value provided by the one organisation. However, there will be much corporate value from the fringe and margins of the event:

 Resource Teams should set up stalls to present their work and to answer queries;

 all Directors should attend but not lead;

 time should be available for informal discussion before and after the event and at lunch;

 corporate content should be confined to welcoming and concluding remarks.

9.7 Induction

The NPHS should have an induction pack explaining its vision, purpose, objectives and role; how it works and how it plans.

3 Marketing Communications programme

10.1 Database

The database encompassing all stakeholder individuals the NPHS works with, or could work with, should be developed so that a contact programme can be managed according to areas of interest and organisation.

Though managed centrally, the database will need regular input from all NPHS teams.

The contact programme will aim to ensure that key stakeholders receive regular and appropriate contact from the NPHS.

10.2 Stakeholder Forum

Within its limitations of direct contact, three meetings of the Stakeholder Forum should be held each year as follows:

 November – discussion of work plan priorities; mid year review; workshop opportunity

 February – discussion of draft work plan

 May – end of year review; workshop opportunity

10.3 National Public Health Service News for Wales

The NPHS should produce and send a monthly briefing on public health issues to all stakeholders. The briefing should focus on more than just NPHS services in order to be fully comprehensive and useful. It would incorporate much of the miscellaneous and historically-established communication that is currently produced by people across the organisation.

The style would be brief with links to further information.

10.4 Prospectus

The prospectus will need updating on a regular basis and sent to all stakeholders.

10.5 Conference attendance

There should be a proactive effort made to feature at key conferences and meetings with speakers and papers presented. This will require the systematic capturing of research and development work by staff.

At certain key conferences – the NHS Confederation Welsh Conference and the UKPHA conference – the NPHS should take a stand to promote its work and profile.

11 Public communications programme

11.1 Assembly Healthy Living all-Party Group

The NPHS should offer to provide support to the Assembly Healthy Living all-Party Group. A series of monthly briefings to AMs and their researchers on public health issues should be offered. The briefings would take the form of one hour slots on a Tuesday or Wednesday before plenary sessions. They would be led by NPHS experts with the National Director making the introduction.

11.2 Web site

The NPHS web site should be re-organised as a user-friendly site aimed at opinion- formers and the public. It should take on a key public health advocacy role. The content would need to be tagged differently and introduced differently in some cases but otherwise would be near identical to that on the intranet site.

Content should be managed in the same way proposed for the intranet.

11.3 Media Relations

A pro-active media relations programme should be developed and implemented based on the NPHS work plan and focusing on health promotion and health protection.

Spokespeople need to be identified for key messages, training put in place and a series of meetings held with health correspondents to develop media relationships.

11.4 Corporate identity

After a couple of years there should be a review of the NPHS graphic corporate identity with the intention of a redesign to make it more relevant to public health.

Before that, some design guidelines need introducing to maximise use of the identity – the logo and design templates.

12 Monitoring and way forward

The issues and challenges identified help provide a baseline against which progress can be monitored and judged. In some cases, more detailed work should be undertaken to provide measures e.g. through staff and customer satisfaction surveys and media monitoring.

Action plans will need to be produced to roll out the programmes described here. Budgets need identifying.

Version: 2 Date: 16th March Status: Approved 2005 Author: Chris Lines Page: 14 of 14