The Structure Is in Line with That of the Corporate Communications Strategy

• Internal communications
• Stakeholder communications
• Public communications

1Introduction

This document reports on the key outputs of the Communications Team in the month of August 2012.

The structure is in line with that of the corporate communications strategy.

The Communications Team is undertaking some work to clarify the measurement and evaluation of its work. More work is being done and, when it is complete, this report will be adjusted to link outputs with outcomes.

Demands on the Communications Team continue to be very high particularly in relation to changes in health and healthcare improvement and staff sickness.

2Internal communications

2.1Information Exchange

The e-Bulletin was published and sent to all staff with a Public Health Wales email address on all five Fridays in August.

2.2Intranet

The top five most viewed pages on the Public Health Wales intranet site in August 2012were as follows:

* visits to the homepage are excluded from this list

The top ten most viewed news stories on the Public Health Wales intranet site inAugust 2012 were as follows:

The total number of page views for the Public Health Wales intranet site during August was 91,387.

Number of monthly page viewson the Public Health Wales intranet site

Fifteennews stories were written and posted on the intranet site in August.

2.3Blog

In August there were twopostings on the Open Blog (one from members of the Executive Team) attracting one comment. In total the Open Blog wasviewed586 times.

2.4Web forum

The web forum was visited 4,315 times in August.

2.5Staff Conference

Planning has started for the staff conference to be held on Tuesday 9 October.

2.6Other

Other internal communications work supported by the Communications Team included:

• The administration review
• Realignment project
• Strategic Delivery Plans
• Public Health Directorate consultation
• An internal communications plan for the Director of Health and Healthcare Improvement
• Public Health Wales policies
• 5x5 whole systems working
• Enhanced staff directory.

3Stakeholder communications

3.1Intranet/Internet

From 1-31 August 2012 the English language version of the website recorded 11,180 visits from 7,336 different visitors resulting in 33,990 web page being viewed. On average, visitors viewed three pages per visit and spent two minutes on the website. The number of visits during August 2012 is 26 per cent higher than the number during August 2011 (see figure 1). The peak in activity on 15 August 2012 was due to the launch of the Champions for Health campaign; the public information page about the campaign was hosted on the Public Health Wales (see figure 1).

Figure 1:Weekly visits to the Public Health Wales website: 01/08/2012-31/08/2012 [blue] and 01/08/2011-31/08/2011 [orange]

For the Welsh language version of the website, 235 visits were recorded from 96 different visitors resulting in 710 webpages being viewed. Visitors spent on average nearly three minutes on the site and viewed three pages per visit.

The top fifteen most visited pages are given in the table below:

3.2Training

Public Health Wales supported a Speciality Registrar on placement with the Communications Team during July and August.

3.3Other

The Communications Team provided support to the following work which involves stakeholder engagement (some others are listed under internal communications and public communications):

Screening Division

• AAA screening project
• Newborn Bloodspot Screening Wales project
• Cervical Screening Wales final report into a serious untoward incident investigation.
• Digital Mammography project
• Combined Downs Syndrome screening project

Health Protection Division

• Response to Olympics and Paralympics games
• Harm Reduction database
• TB outbreak in Llanelli
• Development of “10 by 5” vaccination awareness raising campaign
• Development of risk communications strategy for ARCOPOL maritime incidents project
• Development of new health and safety communications for Microbiology division
• Support to water contamination incident in Nant Peris
• Support to contaminated land incident in Wrexham
• Support to case of anthrax in IVDU in North Wales

Health Intelligence Division

• Child Measurement Programme
• Population Health Intelligence Network
• Older People’s Indicators
• WCISU

Health and Healthcare Improvement Division

• Health Improvement Review
• Champions for Health
• The Early Years Pathfinder Programme
• Communications support to the Consultant Dietician
• Communications support and advice to the Health and Healthcare Improvement division
• Public Health Wales response to Alcohol Awareness Week
• Pharmaceutical public health campaign on stroke and diabetes
• Pharmaceutical public health team on the next public health campaign on respiratory disease

Health board teams

• Aneurin Bevan Public Health Team Obesity Strategy

Corporate

• Drafting of the Public Health Wales Annual Report 2011-12
• Public Health Wales AGM
• NHS Wales digital communications
• Planning for the Public Health Wales staff conference

4Public communications

4.1Social Media

Bilingual Facebook and social media accounts were set up for Public Health Wales in line with the approved Social Media Strategy. The Communications Team tweeted eight times which automatically updated the organisation’s Facebook status.

4.2Media Relations

4.2.1Press releases issued

The Communications Team issued fourpress releases in August, all of which achieved media coverage:

Health Protection Division

• Reactive Statement on outbreak of norovirus following a private party in Llandrindod Wells.

Health and Healthcare Improvement Division

• Stop Smoking Wales Annual Report (2 August)

Other

• Safeguarding Children service to hold conference to share learning (3 August)

Local Health Boards

• Caerphilly Going for Gold (8 August)

4.2.2Media enquiries

The Communications Team responded to 24 media enquiries in August.

Of the enquiries,13were related to health protection and 11 to health improvement.

4.3Health in Wales

Data collected by Google Analytics on how visitors interacted with Health in Wales during August 2012 are now available.

From 1-31 August 2012 the website recorded 72,740 visits from 51,450 unique visitors resulting in 179,044 web pages being viewed. The number of visitors is the highest recorded in any month since website launch in July 2010.

On average, visitors viewed three pages per visit and spent two minutes on the website. The number of visits during August 2012 is 10 per cent higher than the number during August 2011 (see figure 1).

Figure 1:Daily visits to the Health in Wales website: 01/08/2012-31/08/2012 [blue] and 01/08/2011-31/08/2011 [orange]

For Welsh language pages on the website, 704 page views were recorded from 558 visits resulting in 133 different page titles being viewed.

The top fifteen most visited pages are given in the table below:

Landing pages are those that a visitor enters the website by. The top ten landing pages through which visitors entered Health in Wales are given in the table below:

For the Welsh language version of the website, the homepage was the most common landing page with 37 per cent of entries. Other principal access points included the “Cyfeiriadur” (Directory) and “Stroc” (Stroke) sections of the website although no other pages individually accounted for a significant proportion of entries.

4.3.1On-line enquiries

Eighty five on-line enquiries were received via Health in Wales website contact form. All enquiries were acknowledged, answered and closed successfully.

Requests included:

• An overseas researcher enquiring for an international comparative study of national oral health policy;
• An enquiry about making retrospective claims for care home fees wrongly charged;
• Enquiry for treatment options for chronic pain outside Wales and details of the referral process;
• An overseas enquiry on the availability of specialised cardiology services in Wales;
• A complaint about primary care services in Aneurin Bevan Health Board area;
• An enquiry about EU reciprocal agreements in Wales covering the cost of prescriptions in Spain;
• Request for help with travel costs to hospital ;
• Enquiry about the AAA screening programme roll-out for the Llandrindod Wells area;
• Policy clarification for an employee working in a private security;
• Service company asking about availability of Hepatitis B vaccination on the NHS.

5Staffing

The Director of Communications has been on sick leave since 29 June 2012. The Director of Planning and Performance has provided Director support to the team.

A Communications Officer has returned from maternity leave on a part time basis and will be providing support to the Health and Healthcare Improvement Division.