Walsall Hospitals NHS Trust

Corporate Communications Strategy 2008-11

May 2008

Fiona Boyle

Head of Corporate Communications and Marketing

Walsall Hospitals NHS Trust

Corporate Communications Strategy 2008-11

Section Number / Section Name / Page Number
Section 1 / Introduction / 3
Section 2 / Why is communication important? / 3
Section 3 / The Trust’s Vision and Values / 3
Section 4 / The communications vision for 2008 – 11 / 4
Section 5 / Aims of the communications strategy / 4
Section 6 / Factors to consider for the future of the Trust / 5
Section 7 / The research / 5
Section 8 / Messages / 6
Section 9 / Target audiences / 6
Section 10 / Communicating with staff / 7
Section 11 / Communicating with GPs / 10
Section 12 / Communicating with patients / 13
Section 13 / Communicating with (FT) members / 15
Section 14 / Tools and activities / 15
Section 15 / Roles and responsibilities / 16
Section 16 / Policies / 16
Section 17 / Branding / 17
Section 18 / ‘Getting Better for Staff’ / 17
Section 19 / Diversity / 17
Section 20 / Summary and evaluation / 17
Appendix 1 / Board and staff members who gave opinions / 19
Appendix 2 / GPs who gave opinions / 20
Appendix 3 / Team Briefing system / 21
Appendix 4 / Action Plan 2008-9 / 22

Section 1 - Introduction

Walsall Hospitals NHS Trust (WalsallManorHospital) is committed to constantly improving communications and, as a public service and a business, we understand the importance of clear, honest, timely and relevant communications.

To do this, we will undertake a planned and sustained approach to communications to support our core business of delivering high quality care to patients. The corporate communications strategy will also help to manage and monitor the reputation of the organisation and reflect the Trust’s aims and values.

Section 2 - Why is communication important?

Without clear, relevant and timely communication through the organisation, the best possible service will not be delivered. Communication is a core part of everyone’s role within the Trust, not just the role of the communications team. It is vital that every member of staff takes responsibility for both giving and receiving information with others.

This corporate communications strategy will ensure we build upon and strengthen our open and responsive approach to communicating with our staff, patients, carers, primary care colleagues, the local community and organisations with whom we are in partnership.

Section 3 - The Trust’s Vision and Values

“Proud to provide modern first class treatment for you and your family when and where you need it, by people who care”

Our Trust Values

  • Teamwork – we work together and support each other to provide the best care for patients.
  • Professionalism – we are competent in our work and we act in a way that inspires confidence.
  • Care – we are friendly and approachable and put patients at the centre of everything we do.
  • Respect – we value patients and staff as individuals and will make sure we explain and listen.
  • Pride – we enjoy our jobs and we are happy working at the ManorHospital.

Section 4 - The communications vision for 2008 – 11

Firstly, effective communications should underpin the Trust vision and values.

Secondly, it is impossible to put a price on a good reputation and communications activity is difficult to quantify. However, when things go wrong the costs to the organisation can be huge in terms of staff morale and public confidence and it can take a long time to repair this damage. Hence, consistent and coordinated communications is vital.

This communications strategy aims to improve the reputation of the organisation year on year by embedding a managed and sustained approach to communications, through planning and evaluation.

Section 5 - Aims of the communications strategy

  1. To ensure internal and external audiences are well informed about what is happening within the Trust and its future developments;
  1. To ensure key corporate messages are disseminated and understood;
  1. To ensure staff and stakeholders are listened to, given the opportunity to voice opinions, and receive feedback on their views;
  1. To provide clarity on who is responsible for ensuring communications are effective and coordinated;
  1. To improve staff morale by listening and communicating more effectively;
  1. To enhance the Trust’s reputation.

Section 6 - Factors to consider for the future of the Trust

Internal change–targets such as 18 weeks referral to treatment and the service transformation programme mean that a number of internal processes have changed in turn requiring a subtle change to the culture of the organisation to empower staff and encourage them to be involved in continuously improving the way that we do things.

The hospital redevelopment – the redevelopment of the hospital is also well underway and in 2010 the new hospital will be unveiled. Staff and patients will experience a significant amount of change over this period and it is important to ensure that they are consulted and informed.

External change – the NHS market place is developing fast with patients at the centre of decisions about where they want to be treated. The reputation of the Trust is a key factor in retaining and growing market share and it is vital that it is enhanced by every point of contact that patients and GPs have with our services and staff.

Section 7 - The research

As with any strategy, an evidence base is essential and regular research and evaluation must be carried out. This communication strategy has been based on a communications audit carried out by LTA Communications who carried out research as follows:

  • Staff views on Trust communications were obtained from members of the staff council and from two staff focus groups. The first focus group comprised middle managers, the second was made up of frontline staff (see Appendix 1 for details);
  • Interviews were held with seven GPs from different practices inWalsall (see Appendix 2 for details);
  • WalsalltPCT’s Chief Executive and Medical Director were interviewed to ascertain their experience of the Trust as stakeholders;
  • Views were sought from the Patient and Public Involvement Forum.

Section 8 - Messages

What do we want people to think about when they hear the name of the Trust? These are the corporate messages that we should be communicating with all of our target audiences.

  • WalsallManorHospital aims to be the best district general hospital in the country, providing top quality care for the people of Walsall and the surrounding area. The hospital of choice, not just of convenience, for the people of Walsall;
  • The new hospital, opening in 2010, will provide modern, efficient, fit for purpose services and facilities where and when patients need them. The disruption caused by the new build is temporary and will be worth it;
  • We are innovative and real progress is already being made in delivering quality patient care, e.g. reduced waiting times, low rates of hospital acquired infections and generally improving the patient experience;
  • Our staff are loyal and committed – working hard amidst constant change and challenge.

Section 9 - Target Audiences

There are a number of audiences with whom we need to communicate with to achieve our aims. Our target audiences can be identified to be:

  • Patients and carers
  • Staff employed by the Trust
  • PCT
  • GPs and commissioners
  • FT members (and governors)
  • Local politicians/local authority
  • Media
  • Monitoring bodies
  • NHS partner organisations
  • Voluntary sector
  • Business community

The way in which we communicate should be appropriate to the audience we are trying to reach. There is no ‘one size fits all’ and the methods employed need to be regularly assessed to measure their effectiveness.

From the research, improving communications with staff, GPs, patients and FT members is considered to be the top priority for 2008/09. Separate sections are therefore dedicated to these groups in this initial version of the strategy with a more general focus on the remaining groups.

Section 10 - Communicating with staff

Feedback from the focus groups revealed that middle managers felt generally well informed and understand their responsibility for keeping staff in their team/departments informed but pointed out it is difficult because of part-time working and shift patterns.

However, frontline staff do not feel well informed – they feel that few managers attempt verbal briefings, and written briefings (Chief Executive Update) were seen as materials that they cannot relate to.

All agreed that more face-to-face communication and more direct contact from the top team would help the general information flow both ways and improve morale.

There is a general agreement amongst all staff that email communication is too heavily relied upon. Only staff with desk based jobs access emails regularly. Those who do access emails regularly suffer from information overload, receiving messages which are not relevant to them or receiving information more than once from different sources.

Frontline staff are the immediate priority for internal communications.

Internal communication – existing methods

  • Cascade
  • Chief Executive Update
  • Team Brief
  • Email
  • Intranet
  • Notice boards

Recommendations for improving internal communication

1)Cascades of information from managers to staff

It is the responsibility of senior managers to deliver information to their staff. It should be made a personal objective that information is cascaded in an appropriate (usually verbal) and timely manner;

Each senior manager will be tasked with producing a planfor how corporateinformation will be cascaded to each member of staff in his/her area and how this will be monitored/audited. Shifts and part-time working must be taken into consideration;

In particular, a system of monthly face-to-face verbal Team Briefcascadesshould be introducedand monitored (see Appendix 3).

2)Top management communications

The Chief Executive should go for a walkfor two separate one hour slots twice a week (PA to diary on a flexible but ‘must do’ basis). Here she can take the opportunity to let staff know about any news, events, etc. and to take questions.

A communications section at new starter induction should be introduced where a member of the communications team goes along to explain the various communications methods within the Trust and that two-way communication is imperative;

Hold a ‘Back to the shop floor day’ where the Chair, Chief Executive and Directors take on roles like switchboard, canteen, porter, security, etc.

Review the potential to utilise and expand the scope of Board to Ward meetings to focus on current topics.

3)Communications Champions

In order to help ‘spread the word’ we will be recruiting communications champions in each area. These communications champions will be brought together on a monthly basis, at a communications forum, to help drive the internal communications process through their service area.

The communications forum can help contribute ideas for Chief Executive Update, Cascade and the intranet, ensure posters in their local area are changed regularly and kept up-to-date, cascade corporate information to their teams, and gather good news stories to feed into the communications team.

The role of the communications champions will be to:

  • Attend the monthly communications forum
  • Receive and keep their team up-to-date on corporate information;
  • Distributecommunications materials;
  • Gather good news stories and feed these into the communications team;
  • Ensure that important news, events and dates are flagged up early;
  • Keep notice boards up-to-date with key communications materials;
  • Act as the official ‘grapevine’.

An event is planned to launch the role of the communications champions andtheir role will be explained to them.

It is important however that the momentum is retained and that the communications champions commit to this being a long-term role. This means support from their managers in releasing from their role to attend the monthly communications forum.

4)Other internalcommunications issues

  • Myth Busters on the intranet should be wound up and instead a monthly one hour ‘Conversation with Sue’ online forum launched;
  • An audit of divisional newsletters should be undertaken by the communications department, to ensure that they follow the corporate style and to evaluate their effectiveness;
  • Cascade should be restyled as a member’s newsletter and be produced on a bi-monthly basis to ensure that news and articles are not out of date by the time it is printed;
  • Give a recognisable ’thank you to staff’ when the Trust achieves key goals;
  • Issue regular good news stories to the media with ‘hot off the press’ summaries in the Chief Executive’s update.

Section 11 - Communicating with GPs

There are 160 GPs in Walsall split into four practice based commissioning groups. GPs are the main customers for Trust services. They offer their patients a choice of which hospital to be referred to and patients take advice from their GP on which hospital to choose.

The contacts GPs have with the Trust affect their perception of the organisation. Poor communication can seriously damage the Trust’s reputation with this target audience.

During the communications review it was found that all GPs would generally recommend the Manor to patients where it was the nearest to their home but all were critical about communications received.

What information do GPs want?

● Waiting times;

● Referral pathways;

● Results of tests and access to patient records/discharge information;

● A ‘who’s who’ of consultants/specialists;

● Services available/new initiatives;

● Corporate information, e.g. about the new hospital progress and FT status.

In short, GPs want information to help them deliver the best possible service for their patients. They need to know who they can refer to, what the waiting times are and how to refer.

They need discharge information promptly when a patient has been treated and they need results and advice on any follow-up treatment needed. They want this information in an easily accessible, clear and timely fashion.

GPs complained about discharge information arriving late or not at all. Other complaints related to illegible handwriting and cryptic abbreviations on discharge forms. Often there is little or no information on a discharge form.

Typed discharge letters are better but in one practice it is a source of major concern that letters are frequently addressed to the wrong GP.

The method of sending test results electronically via the Fusion system was generally applauded and the Manor is seen as ‘leading the field’ with this electronic link.

How do GPs want to receive information?

  • Discharge information should be emailed to the GP as soon as possible. A copy can be given to the patient but the Trust shouldn’t rely on the patient hand delivering. And don’t post – email is more immediate.
  • When a patient is seen inA&E, fax or preferably email the report to the GP the same day – don’t wait and send in bulk at the end of the month.
  • Letters from consultants should state clearly what procedures, if any, have been carried out and state clearly what advice they are giving and what further treatment is needed.
  • GPs would like access to patients’ notes through the Fusion system. Fusion works well for pathology results but needs to be expanded to allow access to a wider range of patient information.
  • Of less importance to GPs but still of interest to them is the corporate information, e.g. relating to Foundation Trust status or the new hospital progress. GPs’ interest in this varies from wanting general knowledge to wanting to be more involved. (One GP would like to be an FT governor.) A personal letter from the Chief Executive to update GPs on developments would be best for this information. Brief, to the point and personally signed – perhaps enclosing a copy of a press release.
  • Most GPs liked the GP Choices newsletter and felt the information contained was useful.

Who do GPs want contact with?

  • GPs would like more ‘face-to-face’ contact with consultants; they are more likely to refer to a particular consultant if they have had personal contact with them.
  • GPs would like direct line telephone numbers for services and to access consultants at set times.
  • GPs would welcome the opportunity to meet with consultants and managers from the hospital on a regular basis. Social occasions would be welcome but considered to be more useful if trainingis involved. One suggestion was for a regular training meeting held at a GP practice with all local GPs invited to attend.

Recommendations for improving communication with GPs

  1. Create a new post of ‘GP Liaison Officer’ to be a named point of contact for GPs; to answer any queries, be a troubleshooter for any issues relating to GP referrals and lead on providing information to GPs;
  1. Produce a GP referral pack containing all information on how to refer to different services;
  1. Distribute GP Choices newsletter regularly with ‘who’s who’ information and updates on corporate issues and new services. Offer in hard copy or electronic versions;
  1. Update and issue electronically a telephone directory;
  1. Set a standard for discharge letters/forms relating to legibility, use of abbreviations, minimum delivery time, etc. Ensure all information is addressed to the correct GP;
  1. Work towards a switch to delivery of discharge information electronically with extended use of the Fusion system and email;
  1. Plan a programme of face-to-face meetings between GPs and consultants/managers. These would be a mixture of training and social events. There are a number of GP meetings which Trust personnel could attend, e.g. Local Medical Committee, local commissioning groups/cluster leads and practice meetings;
  1. Establish links with the new young doctors’ group;
  1. Find ways of GPs being able to talk to consultantson the telephone or to be able to email directly for advice;
  1. GP section on new Trustwebsite with consultant profiles.

Section 12 - Communicating withPatients

Views were sought from the Patient and Public Involvement Forum to help shape this section of the strategy. It is recommended that further focus groups be held with patients and carers, to ascertainviews on how communication could be improved.