Reducing pressure on A&E services - Strategic communications and campaign management

Reducing pressure on A&E services - Strategic communications and campaign management featured image
What were the objectives? Clinical Commissioning Groups in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) asked our Communications Team to devise a marketing campaign that would help reduce the rate of A&E attendance among people with minor illnesses or injuries during the busy winter months. The campaign objective was raise public awareness of the available alternatives to A&E (such as minor injuries units, walk-in centres, GP surgeries, pharmacists, and the NHS 111 service) and to reach the widest possible audience. The activity had to be delivered cost-effectively, to maximise the funding allocated by NHS England to ease winter pressures and to help achieve national standards for patient care. See www.thinkabc.org.uk.

What did we deliver? We co-ordinated campaign delivery across an extensive geographic area, appointing one of our experienced Campaign Managers to lead the six-month project, with support from our Marketing and Communications Manager. We arranged three focus groups to establish the campaign messaging, tone and style. We devised the campaign strategy and the strapline ‘Think ABC before A&E’, encouraging people to consider all options and choose the right service when they were unwell or injured. Our integrated multi-media campaign included delivery of 275,000 door-to-door leaflets; a dedicated website; digital, print and outdoor advertising; editorial coverage; social media campaigns; a mobile phone application; and information in targeted point-of-care locations such as GP surgeries. We drove regular engagement with the Project Board, which included representatives from CCGs, local hospital trusts and community providers. We completed an independent campaign evaluation using an external research organisation. How did we add value to the customer? Our extensive experience of communications and marketing in health and social care meant we could easily conceive, plan and manage and effective campaign on behalf of the CCGs and their hospital and community providers. While we maintained the same creative concept and branding across the whole region, we tailored activity to promote the most appropriate services for each locality.

This approach optimised campaign impact across the region whilst also achieving substantial economies of scale. Our flexible approach and regular engagement with the Project Board members enabled us to adapt activity reactively to meet CCG needs. For example, we developed a mobile phone app for South Gloucestershire CCG. To maximise cost-effective coverage, we also made proactive recommendations as the campaign progressed, such as promoting the campaign in DIY stores during spring break and producing a cartoon designed to go viral on social media.

The independent evaluation showed that ‘Think ABC before A&E’ was successful in raising awareness of alternatives to A&E and in reducing A&E attendance by people with minor injuries. Having carefully monitored the public response to each campaign activity, we have a clear understanding of the most cost-effective and impactful approaches, which will inform future behaviour change campaigns for BNSSG and other customers.
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