A member of the Department of Health’s NHS Delivery Group, I worked directly with the Secretary of State for Health and other NHS leaders, advising on press, communications and crisis management. As part of this work, I designed a strategy to deploy during the sensitive pre-election period. This plan used the Government’s narrative to demonstrate financial grip in a challenging climate, with increasing public concern and increasing levels of hostile reporting about the NHS. Also see crisis section for more coverage. These cuttings are an example of the level of media and public interest in NHS performance and the challenges that posed as targets were missed.
NHS finance and sustainability
Daily Mail: 'Six-year high for hospital waiting lists'The Sun: 'Critical' NHS
Launch of new hospital inspections
At CQC, I promoted the arrival of the new chief inspector Sir Mike Richards and his revised approach to inspection in 2013. An example of decifering technical information and making it appealing to top news outlets, this was a critical turning point in my employer’s reputation. It signalled a move towards a stronger more efficient form of inspection under a new regulatory model and new leadership.
This helped move CQC away from a series of scandals and critisism from a range of stakeholders, including Robert Francis (in the Francis Inquiry), The Public Accounts Committee, the Health Select Committee and several Secretaries of State for Health.
The Maternity Survey
I designed and implemented communications plans for CQC’s survey of women’s experiences of maternity care in 2010 and 2013. This enourmous data capture of around 30,000 patients compares performance with previous findings where possible. It is one of the strongest indicators of the quality of maternity services available.
Independent: 'Quarter of new mothers say they were abandoned during labour'Guardian: 'Serious flaws found in NHS maternity care'
Intelligent Monitoring for Hospitals
Telegraph: 'Patient safety at high risk in quarter of all NHS trusts'
Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust investigation
The Healthcare Commission published its investigation into Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust in March 2009. I designed and implemented the media strategy and achieved its objectives of achieving balanced and accurate coverage in every national newspaper and television news programme. I worked closely with the dedicated inspection team from the start of the inspection and arranged a press conference to release its findings. Despite initial reluctance from the tabloids to attend, I negociated with some invitees discretely to ensure they didn’t miss it. Stakeholder relations were challenging with DH seeking to influence the report as well as the press materials. I was also required to deliver bad news to stakeholders such as the trust itself. More detail is in the crisis section.
